Crystal Palace are looking for a new left wing-back.
Ben Chilwell was summoned on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window to provide cover for Tyrick Mitchell, although Oliver Glasner remains on the hunt for a long-term option to mirror what the energetic Daniel Munoz provides down the right flank.
Crystal Palace bid for El Hadji Malick Diouf in January – only for Slavia Prague to stand firm on the Senegal international – with that situation set to be revisited in the summer.
However, there was actually a talented left wing-back on trial at Crystal Palace last summer who Glasner rejected, one now shining in the Premier League.
Ryan Sessegnon impressing at Fulham after Crystal Palace snub
The Athletic revealed back in August that Ryan Sessegnon had failed to win a contract in SE25 after going on trial at Crystal Palace last summer – following his release from Tottenham.
It was said that Glasner held concerns about the 24-year-old’s injury record, and opted to focus on developing Franco Umeh into a left wing-back instead of taking a gamble on the Londoner.
| Season | Days | Injuries | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 314 days | 3 | 40 | |
| 22/23 | 140 days | 1 | 22 |
| 21/22 | 171 days | 4 | 31 |
| 20/21 | 49 days | 2 | 9 |
| 19/20 | 135 days | 1 | 19 |
| 18/19 | 13 days | 1 | 3 |
Sessegnon, who also trained with Crystal Palace in addition to playing a few friendlies, eventually penned a two-year contract at Fulham, who initially sold him to Spurs in a £25m deal back in August 2019, and he is now shining back in familiar surroundings.
The Fulham No.30 scored on Sunday as the Cottagers recorded a shock 3-2 win over Liverpool, having also scored against Tottenham in the previous outing at Craven Cottage.
Ryan Sessegnon has Craven Cottage ROCKING! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tt9ucz0mkG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 6, 2025
In total, Sessegnon can boast three goals and three assists from just 580 minutes of action across all competitions, which equates to a goal involvement roughly every 96 minutes – a fine return.
At the age of just 24, the man from Roehampton still has plenty of time to rediscover the form which led Tottenham to spend £25m on his signature when he was only 19, so Crystal Palace may well have made a mistake in rejecting him.
Crystal Palace face a fight to sign El Hadji Malick Diouf
Taking Sessegnon on a free transfer would have been a much simpler way to find competition for Mitchell, as the preferred target is quite a popular man.
Liverpool also want to sign Diouf from Slavia Prague, with Arne Slot ready to offload Kostas Tsimikas and find a new face to compete against Andy Robertson.
Nottingham Forest are also believed to be keen, and should be able to offer UEFA Champions League football, so Crystal Palace face an uphill battle to sign the Senegalese defender this summer.
