Adam Daghim of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is challenged by Honest Ahanor of Crystal Palace during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Crystal Palace FC and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Chelsea agreed a future transfer for central defender Honest Ahanor with Italian club Atalanta this summer. The 18-year-old will join the Blues next summer after spending a season on loan at Crystal Palace.
The deal made sense for all three parties: Atalanta received a significant £40 million transfer fee, Palace signed a talented player to replace Maxence Lacroix, and Chelsea would benefit from his development in the Premier League. However, Palace may be disappointed with their side of the deal after Ahanor’s latest performance.
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It is good news for us I guess! Acheampong is still going away with U21s though. Wish it was the 1st team
Better for Chelsea players stay at cobham and are healthy. Load management! I don’t want injuries derailing our season
Gibbs-White has done very little, seems to pick off favourites
Chelsea prospect Honest Ahanor slammed after Crystal Palace nightmare
Honest Ahanor started in Crystal Palace’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Hoffenheim on Thursday night. He slid in to intercept a pass but missed the ball, allowing Hoffenheim to launch a counter-attack and score in the seventh minute.
Ahanor was then almost at fault for another goal after attempting a drag-back inside Palace’s penalty area and losing possession. His centre-back partner, Jaydee Canvot, was forced into a sliding challenge to deny a close-range shot on target.
Palace boss Pierre Sage substituted the Italian international in the 75th minute, and the Eagles went on to secure a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. Despite snatching a point in injury time, Palace fans were not impressed with their team’s performance, particularly Ahanor’s.
One Palace supporter tweeted: “This might be one of the worst individual performances I’ve seen at Palace from Ahanor.” Another went a step further: “This guy is one of the worst centre backs I’ve ever seen.”
Meanwhile, several Palace fans expressed their disbelief at Ahanor’s £40m transfer fee. One wrote: “Honest Ahanor could be the worst defender I’ve ever seen play football. Chelsea have been robbed blind for £40m.”
This might be one of the worst individual performances i’ve seen at palace from Ahanor since Schlupp cameo appearance off the bench at villa park in the carabao cup.
— riley (@rileycpfc_) November 5, 2026
A fourth commented: “Good luck to Chelsea spending 40 million on this Honest Ahanor. Debut was good but since then he has been awful.” Another posted: “How is he worth 40 million pounds when he can’t even make a simple pass?”
One Eagles supporter then highlighted Chelsea’s poor record of centre-back signings, referencing both Ahanor and Axel Disasi, who joined Palace from Chelsea on a permanent deal this summer. “They don’t exactly have a great record at CB, do they? We’ve ended up with 2 of their donkeys in our team,” they said.