Was worth £12.5m, now worth £50m: Palace had a nightmare on "incredible" £17k-p/w gem - opinion

When Roy Hodgson ended his four-year spell at Crystal Palace last season, the direction that the club was heading in looked entirely negative.

The Eagles had an ageing squad with a number of contracts expiring and faced the task of replacing the 74-year-old manager, who initially retired and now of course finds himself as Watford boss.

Crystal Palace had it all to do, but delivered in every possible aspect.

The somewhat risky appointment of Patrick Vieira has so far turned out to be astute, whilst the arrivals of Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher, to name a few, have been nothing short of sensational.

The latter, Gallagher, has made waves at Selhurst Park this season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists over his 27 top-flight appearances, proving himself as a Premier League starter with real potential under Vieira.

There is a slight downside to this deal though.

The 22-year-old who has been described as “incredible” by his manager is of course on loan from fellow London outfit, Chelsea. And the performances that he has produced in a Palace shirt this season have drastically elevated his price tag.

At the start of his loan, Gallagher was rated at £13.5m, already a dramatic increase from his £4.86m valuation upon his temporary switch to West Bromwich Albion the season prior.

His efforts for Palace this season have enticed the London club to vie for a permanent deal, come the end of the season.

Though, with Thomas Tuchel understood to be a huge admirer of Gallagher, along with competition from a number of other clubs, the permanent capture of Gallagher could now prove difficult for the Eagles.

It is said that a whopping £50m would be just enough to start a conversation for the