Player admits signing for Crystal Palace was the “biggest regret” of his career

Player admits signing for Crystal Palace was the “biggest regret” of his career

A player who left Crystal Palace in 2017 has now described his move to Selhurst Park as a huge regret.

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SE25 seems to be a fantastic place for footballers to play, with an adoring set of supporters bringing plenty of passion to Selhurst Park on a weekly basis, while living in London on a footballing salary must also be quite enjoyable.

 

However, there is one player who would never have made the move to Crystal Palace if he had the opportunity again…

 

Joe Ledley admits he regrets Crystal Palace move

Joe Ledley has now revealed that joining Crystal Palace is the “biggest regret” of his career.

 

Before sharing the Welshman’s quotes, we must stress that he sounds more upset to have called time on his successful stint at Celtic early and consequently breaking that bond with fans in Glasgow, rather than having any bitter feelings towards Crystal Palace.

 

Manuel Blondeau/AOP.Press/Corbis

Photo by AOP.Press/Corbis via Getty Images

Ledley told World Football Index: “Playing in the Premier League is the highest of all European leagues and that was the only reason why I went.

 

“Despite wanting to play in the Premier League, looking back, moving at that time is probably the biggest regret of my career. I probably should have stayed, won more games, tried to set even better records than what I did when I was at Celtic.

 

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“On the day of leaving, I’ve never seen anything like it at my house. Garry Parker and Fraser Forster came over, then I was with Lenny (Neil Lennon) for ages really not knowing what to do, whether to get on the plane and go to Palace or not. I was honestly torn.

 

“After that, I had a hard think about it and made my decision to go because I was 26 at the time, only getting older, and if I don’t move then, I probably wouldn’t ever have played in the Premier League.”

 

Ledley ended up making 96 appearances for Crystal Palace across three years at Selhurst Park from 2014 to 2017 – scoring six goals while also providing one assist.

 

The man from Cardiff even scored on his debut for Crystal Palace in a 3-1 win over West Brom back in February 2014, following his £700,000 move from Celtic.

 

Great signing

Ledley was a fantastic servant for Crystal Palace, and his arrival in that January transfer window proved vital in Tony Pulis keeping us in the Premier League against all odds.

 

Joe Ledley of Crystal Palace looks on during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Sunderland at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2017 in…

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

For just £700,000, securing survival more than repaid the money spent on the now 37-year-old, while Crystal Palace also did a fine job in signing Scott Dann and Jason Puncheon on permanent deals in January 2014 as well.

 

Hopefully, Ledley – who retired in 2021 – did still enjoy his time at Selhurst Park in some capacity, despite his regrets about leaving Celtic.