It's been an interesting season for Crystal Palace this year, as just a couple of months ago, it was all looking rather bleak with Roy Hodgson at the helm.
However, new boss Oliver Glasner has already had an impact on the team, and with Eberechi Eze back in the XI, things are looking up.
The midfield magician is easily one of the most talented players the club have had in a very long time, so it's surprising to see he's earning significantly less than one of the biggest flops in the team's history.
Eberechi Eze's salary at Crystal Palace
The Eagles completed the £20m signing of Eze from West London outfit Queens Park Rangers in August 2020 after the Greenwich-born gem scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in just 48 appearances for the Championship side.
It didn't take long for the right-footed dynamo to settle into life at Selhurst Park, scoring his first goal and providing his first assist in the same game on November 7th before finishing the campaign with four goals and six assists in 36 games.
Unfortunately, his second season was ruined by an Achilles tendon injury he picked up at the end of 2020/21, so fans would have to wait until his third year in South London to get another taste of what a fully fit Eze could deliver, and deliver he did.
Last year, the 5 foot 10 ace scored ten goals and provided four assists across 40 games. In another injury-hit season this year, he's managed six goals and three assists in 22 games and was rewarded with a bumper new deal in November.
This new contract saw his £30k-per-week salary jump to a tasty £100k-per-week to properly reflect his importance to the team. Yet, even at this improved pay rate, the Palace star is earning significantly less than a former flop once did.
Max Meyer's salary at Crystal Palace
The player in question is the four-capped German international Max Meyer, who spent a very unsuccessful two and a half years in London between August 2018 and January 2021.
The Eagles signed the Oberhausen-born midfielder on a free after his contract at FC Schalke expired in 2018, and at the time, it was genuinely seen as something of a coup.
By the time he had left Die Knappen, he had racked up 192 appearances, in which he had scored 22 goals and provided 23 assists.
Unfortunately for all involved, the player who eventually signed on the dotted line for the South Londoners in exchange for an outrageously high salary of £170k-per-week was not the one that pundits and fans had been talking about for weeks.
In his first season with Palace, the 5 foot 8 ace wasn't atrocious, but he was underwhelming and returned just two goals and three assists in 36 appearances, which would actually be as good as it got.
The following season and a half saw him play just 20 games, in which he failed to score or provide a single assist.
Transfer fee
£0m
Wages per week (Total)
£170k (£22.1m)
Total Cost
£22.1m
Appearances
56
Cost per Appearance
£394k
Goals
2
Cost per Goal
£11m
Assists
3
Cost per Assist
£7.3m
Goal Involvements
5
Cost per Goal Involvement
£4.4m
That means that at £170k-per-week for 130 weeks, the "world-class" German, as his agent Roger Wittmann rather optimistically described him, cost the club around £22m in total, or £11m-per-goal, £7.3m-per-assist, and £394k-per-appearance.
While he certainly has to take some blame for his poor performances in England, the fact that Hodgson played him as a left-sided midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and right-winger couldn't have helped him settle either.
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Ultimately, when it comes to Crystal Palace flops, there really aren't many bigger than Meyer, and the fact that even after his recent contract, Eze is earning £70k-per-week less than he was is mad, although it is a clear sign the club learned their lesson.
