Crystal Palace had just survived a Premier League season for the first time in their history thanks to Tony Pulis.
The Welshman took over from Ian Holloway and guided a Championship-looking Eagles squad into 11th place in England’s top-flight.
However, he walked out on the south Londoners just two days before the season opener against Arsenal kicked off, leaving Neil Warnock to steady the ship in his absence.
While the charismatic boss didn’t last until the New Year before Alan Pardew replaced him, one thing he did at Selhurst Park still makes shockwaves to this day – bringing Wilfried Zaha back to the club on loan.
While that set the ball rolling, it was in fact Pardew who completed the £3m capture of the Ivorian on a permanent basis in January 2015, and it is a deal that’s arguably Crystal Palace’s finest Premier League purchase to date.
Ignoring his exploits in the Championship, Zaha leads the way for the Eagles in two Premier League charts.
The 27-year-old – who came through Palace’s academy – has made the most Premier League appearances of any player to play for the club with 192 to his name, meaning that he has cost only £15.6k per appearance in England’s top-flight.
Even more impressively, the winger is Palace’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League with 35 goals to his name, meaning that he has cost the club just £85.7k per Premier League goal – he truly has been a bargain in every sense of the word.
There have been plenty of fine Premier League purchases for the Eagles, notably the £1.6m signing of Attilio Lombardo from Juventus in 1997 and the £10m capture of Yohan Cabaye.
Calling all Eagles fans: Can you get 90% on this quickfire Palace quiz?
However, in terms of longevity and value for money, it is difficult to look beyond Zaha for just £3m as Palace’s best Premier League signing in their history.
In other news, this 2012 Palace addition surely makes Steve Parish proud every time he thinks about it…
