da imperador bet： Signed for just £500k from Dundee in 2004, the Selhurst Park faithful were not immediately impressed by Julian Speroni.
da supremo： The Argentine made his home debut against Everton in the Premier League, but endured a nightmarish start to life in south London after failing to dribble round Toffees striker Kevin Campbell before conceding a penalty.
It was a mistake that cost him his place in the XI and Speroni – through his own admission – took three years to get back into the team, making only 15 league appearances in his first three years with the Eagles.
However, Dowie’s £500k capture of the long-haired Argentine paid off eventually – even that is an understatement.
As we type, Speroni is arguably the biggest fan favourite in Crystal Palace history.
The glovesman has endured administration with the Eagles – a time where Neil Warnock, Victor Moses and others left but Speroni insisted on staying – as well as relegation, before helping Palace back into the Premier League via the playoffs in 2013.
In total, he made a whopping 402 appearances for the south Londoners, keeping a club-record 112 clean sheets – one ahead of Nigel Martyn – while also enjoying a testimonial at Selhurst Park against Dundee.
If you were to divide his transfer fee by the amount of appearances he has made, Speroni only cost Palace £1.2k per game, which is extraordinary value for money when you consider everything he has achieved at Selhurst Park.
The shot-stopper won Palace’s Player of the Year award on four occasions, while he was also handed the Chairman’s Award by Steve Parish for his outstanding years of service, in which the most-appeared goalkeeper in the Eagles’ history was given glowing praise by the club supremo.
Calling all Eagles fans: Can you get 90% on this quickfire Palace quiz?
Using the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, you’d discover that Speroni’s transfer fee would be worth £773,455.53 in today’s money – showcasing just how much of a bargain he was when signed by Dowie.
In other news, this Trevor Francis signing is surely amongst the best in Crystal Palace’s history…