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"It was just laughter" - Crystal Palace weren't new signing's first-choice, agent speaks up

Sport Witness · Kaustubh Pandey · 2026-08-18T08:18:18+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Crystal Palace have paid £21m to sign Anan Khalaili and the deal comes after a move to Inter Milan failed for the Israel international. His agent has now opened up about the transfer. Weeks before the move to the Eagles went through, the Italian champions were close to signing Khalaili. All agreements were in place but the defender failed to obtain a health certificate from the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee). As a result, the transfer fell through, with Inter now having signed Djed Spence instead. The move to Crystal Palace went through seamlessly and it allows Khalaili the chance to play in the Europa League. Sport Witness covered how Newcastle United were interested and a deal is boost for the London club. His agent Boaz Goren has now revealed some details of the transfer. Agent laughs off medical concerns Goren spoke to 103FM about the transfer to Crystal Palace. He revealed that the move didn’t come with any medical challenges and it took two minutes for the procedures to be carried out. He said, laughing off the Inter saga: “We were sitting in the hotel rooms, Anan was in a room next to us with a wall separating us. I went to his room and told him definitively that the issue was irreparable. Four minutes later he was in my room again and it was just laughter. When we see that the issue was irreparable? Laughter, fine. We move on.” Providing more insight, Goren said: “Anan probably won’t play in Italy until they change the protocol, but in England it didn’t take more than two minutes for the doctor to approve him when the matter was on the table. “It’s very clear that Inter was an excellent story, but we moved on from it because it was impossible,” Big clubs wanted Khalaili Goren made it clear that many big clubs came forward for the 21-year-old, “From that moment on, I can say that every European team, at a level that could pay the amount that was paid for him, which is not low, that should have approached Anan. All over Europe and at all levels. “The levels of the clubs that I came into contact with, thanks to this player, as an agent, it still amazes me to this day.” Goren also revealed that the Eagles wanted Khalaili for almost a year and were the player’s second choice. “Crystal Palace have been in contact with us for a little less than a year, and have wanted him since January, and in the end it worked out for them. There is no club in Europe, including Inter, which they are the pick of the teams that play the system, that did not want him. “We did a long internal work that concerns all the relevant options for him, Inter were always first place because they play the system and Crystal Palace was also second place.” Our take: Eagles have a great deal While Crystal Palace were Khalaili’s second-choice, they won’t mind that. They have signed a player who can play multiple roles on the right and could be a long-term successor for Daniel Munoz. The Colombian has become one of the most reliable players in his position but is now 30. Khalaili is much younger and has the same, reliable ability to cover ground and carry the ball forward. He has also played in Europe during his time at Union Saint-Gilloise.