Anan Khalaili's introduction to the Premier League came in defeat. The Israeli winger, signed by Crystal Palace for a club-record fee barely a week earlier, was sent on as a 55th-minute substitute as Palace lost 2-0 away to Everton on the opening weekend of the 2026-27 season.
Goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, three minutes before the break, and Thierno Barry, early in the second half, gave Everton their first win of the campaign at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and left Khalaili chasing the game from the moment he stepped onto the pitch.
ONE's review of his cameo was measured rather than glowing: the Israeli "showed his desire to go forward, but barely received the ball from his teammates," the outlet reported, calling it "a difficult game for his Premier League debut."
Sites covering Palace in detail saw more encouraging signs. We Are Palace wrote that Khalaili "dealt well with the defensive battles with Iliman Ndiaye" — Everton's influential forward — "and provided a fantastic cross for Jürgen Strand Larsen, which was headed over Jordan Pickford," a chance that could have hauled Palace back into the contest had it dropped under the crossbar rather than over it.
The Palace Way's take was shorter but no less positive: "He looks like a very promising player."
Khalaili, 21, joined Palace from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise on August 15 in a deal reported at £21 million, a fee the Jerusalem Post described as record-breaking for an Israeli footballer, running to 2031.
Born in Haifa, he came up through Maccabi Haifa's academy before moving to Belgium, where he was a key part of the Union Saint-Gilloise side that won the 2024-25 Pro League title — ending a 90-year wait for the Brussels club's first championship since 1935.
He has also been capped repeatedly by Israel's senior national team and won bronze with the under-20s at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, arriving at Selhurst Park with a growing reputation even before Saturday's mixed bow.
