Crystal Palace decision on Joel Ordóñez vindicated as defender faces surgery

Crystal Palace faced frustration during the summer transfer window when their proposed €30million move for Joel Ordóñez collapsed following his medical.

A few weeks later, that decision is looking increasingly sensible.

Palace had moved aggressively for the Club Brugge centre-back after initially competing with Aston Villa for his signature. They eventually got the 22-year-old to London and appeared to be closing in on a significant defensive addition.

There was one major concern: Ordóñez was already recovering from a metatarsal fracture suffered during the World Cup.

Palace therefore wanted extensive medical checks before committing such a substantial transfer fee. Those examinations raised enough concerns for the Eagles to abandon the deal.

Recent developments in Belgium suggest they had good reason to do so.

Ordóñez has now been sidelined for 77 days and missed eight Club Brugge matches, with his return still nowhere in sight.

According to reports in Belgium, it has now been determined that the defender requires surgery on his metatarsal problem.

Should the operation go ahead, Ordóñez could face another three to four months on the sidelines.

That would represent a major setback for both the player and Club Brugge, who could now be without one of their important defensive options for a substantial part of the season.

For Crystal Palace, meanwhile, it provides greater context behind their summer decision.

Spending around €30m on a player who could potentially miss several months would have represented a considerable gamble.

The situation also raises questions about how Ordóñez initially managed the injury.

He reportedly suffered the problem during the World Cup but continued playing after taking medication. Following a collision against Germany, however, he was unable to put weight on the affected foot.

Ordóñez then spent much of his summer holiday using crutches and wearing a cast.

Despite that, there had initially been optimism that the injury would heal sufficiently for him to return relatively quickly. That has clearly not happened.

Palace's medical department identified the potential danger before the club committed to the transfer, ultimately deciding that the risk was too significant.

At the time, losing a highly-rated defensive target after getting him as far as London was disappointing.

With Ordóñez now potentially requiring surgery and another lengthy rehabilitation, Palace can look back at the collapsed transfer very differently.

Ordóñez must now determine the next stage of his recovery, with surgery potentially keeping him unavailable for several more months.

Club Brugge will have to cope without the defender while hoping the operation finally resolves an injury that has already disrupted both his season and his proposed Premier League move.

For Crystal Palace, attention can remain on alternative defensive options. What initially looked like a frustrating collapsed transfer increasingly appears to have been an important piece of risk management by the club.