How Crystal Palace almost signed Alphonso Davies | OneFootball

Since joining Bayern Munich in 2019, Alphonso Davies has been making waves.

The 19-year-old is one of the best wing-backs in Europe and this season he played an instrumental role in Bayern’s treble triumph.

But it could have been a very different story for the Canadian.

Speaking to Suddeutsche Zeitung, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has revealed that Davies very nearly ended up at Selhurst Park a few years ago.

“When he was 15, 16 in a football school in Edmonton, where my sister lives, she recommended him to me,” says Parish.

“We flew to Canada especially to see the player. We wanted to sign him, but once again we couldn’t get a work permit in England!

“True story! I still have all the mails. I’m sure he would have been interested in coming to us – and we were very early!

“So I was a little torn when I watched Bayern. But I’m happy for Alphonso. And to see Bayern win is good, because it is a rich but self-sustaining club. I see a team that is bigger than the sum of its parts.”

What could have been.