Why Would Crystal Palace Sell Joachim Andersen?

Why Would Crystal Palace Sell Joachim Andersen?

According to Fabrizio Romano, who Football Park rate as a tier one source, Fulham have all but sealed the signing of Joachim Andersen.

⚪️⚫️ Joachim Andersen to Fulham, here we go! Deal in place for £30m package as Andersen's new agents are completing personal terms details.

Medical tests booked, Andersen will leave Crystal Palace to join Marco Silva's project.

Fulham also count on Sander Berge to sign today. pic.twitter.com/OiIjN9rgS7

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 21, 2024

Medical tests are scheduled for the Denmark international, and he’s expected to be announced as a Fulham player in the coming days. Andersen spent the 2020/21 season on loan with the Cottagers, where he cemented himself as a fan favourite.

His range of passing for a centre-back is incredible, and is known for his trademark diagonal balls over opposition defences.

How Much Will Palace get for Andersen?

Crystal Palace signed Andersen in 2021/22 for a fee of around £15 million, and he has established himself as a key figure for the Eagles.

Fulham’s bid, which Palace have accepted, could reach up to £30 million. Meaning that should all clauses of the deal be met, Palace will more than double their money for the Dane. Given Andersen is now 28-years-old, he’s probably only going to start declining in value, and Palace have done well to cash in on him.

Have Palace Made the Right Call?

First of all, there are positives to selling Andersen for the Eagles. With Glasner looking to reunite with Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix, who is available for around £15 million, Palace have increased their cash flow whilst bringing in a younger and very capable player. They’ve also been linked to Benfica’s Tomas Araujo, another young talented defender.

🚨🔴🔵 EXCL: Crystal Palace submit opening bid to sign Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg.

Understand #CPFC proposal is worth £12m fixed fee plus £2m add-ons.

Lacroix wants to leave Wolfsburg and has only one year left on his contract, while Glasner considers him among top targets. pic.twitter.com/NnAfctNYN6

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 21, 2024

And it might seem to most a statement of intent for Palace, as they look to build on a positive second half of the season last campaign. This could be a signal of their willingness to keep hold of England international Marc Guehi, who has been linked with a big money switch to Newcastle United.

For me however, I think Palace would’ve been better off keeping Andersen. With Guehi entering the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park, his value is set to plummet after this window. Yes, Guehi is very good, but I wouldn’t call him irreplaceable for Palace. Andersen’s line-breaking passing and calmness in defence will be much harder to replace, especially when the Eagles are targeting much younger and less experienced defenders.

The absolute worst outcome would be for Palace to lose both Guehi and Andersen, and with Newcastle not giving up the chase for Guehi, this outcome feels more likely than ever. With the Eagles trying to build on the positive momentum of last season, replacing two vital members of the team's spine would offset lots of the cohesion. Then starting two new central defenders who haven’t had a pre-season to form a relationship could have disastrous effects on Palace’s push for Europe.