Think back to the summer of 2016 and Crystal Palace had just secured the biggest transfer fee in the club’s history at the time.
After months of speculation, the Eagles had managed to bag approximately £25m for the signature of Yannick Bolasie, with the winger moving to Everton.
The club have only ever eclipsed that considerable haul once since with the transfer of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United earning more. It could be argued that Steve Parish and Palace have profited more from the sale of Bolasie though.
Is Yannick Bolasie Crystal Palace’s best-ever sale?
Definitely!
No, there are better.
In the four-and-a-half years since departing Selhurst Park, the Congolese international has gone on to represent five different employers.
Everton, Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Sporting Clube de Portugal and now Middlesbrough are amongst his long list of destinations. His career has lurched from one disaster to the other in recent years as he has gone from a guaranteed starter in the Premier League to battling for minutes in the second tier.
In all of that time, Bolasie has scored just 12 goals and provided 19 assists.
For context, his final two seasons in Croydon saw him contribute 10 goals and 17 assists.
The 31-year-old’s transfer valuation is also at an all-time low.
Sitting at around £18m following his move to Goodison Park, he is now rated at just £1.35m.
Of course, it is a sad and disappointing fall from grace for Bolasie, whose pace and trickery saw him earn plenty of plaudits.
He also was not helped by a serious cruciate ligament injury suffered in his first season on Merseyside, a problem that was somewhat the catalyst behind his downward spiral.
Nevertheless, with Bolasie having been unceremoniously hauled off at half-time of Middlesbrough’s 1-0 defeat to Millwall at the weekend, Steve Parish and the Eagles must reflect on their masterclass of a sale.
AND in more news, take a look at which Juventus mega star the Eagles have to move for in the summer…