Crystal Palace will be kicking themselves after Charlie Cresswell latest

Crystal Palace will surely regret that they failed to seal the signing of Charlie Cresswell after his impressive start at Rennes.

The 24-year-old centre-back was heavily linked with a move to the Eagles in the summer transfer window.

However, Rennes would eventually win the race as they signed the former England Under 21 international on loan with an obligation to buy, in a deal worth up to £28million.

So far, the former Toulouse defender has impressed and played a starring role in Rennes’ 1-0 victory against Marseille on Friday.

Cresswell was excellent defensively to ensure that the hosts kept a clean sheet as the club went top of Ligue 1 before Saturday’s fixtures.

Now, Palace look foolish for not getting the transfer over the line this summer.

How good was Charlie Cresswell vs Marseille?

Against Marseille, Cresswell was no doubt one of the best players on the pitch as he dominated Marseille.

The defender swept up multiple attacks against the Europa League outfit to secure a vital victory.

According to Fotmob on 12 September, Cresswell completed 83 per cent of his passes, won two tackles, made eight clearances, three recoveries, won four out of his five ground duels and won seven out of his eight aerial duels.

These are no doubt incredibly impressive stats, especially as Cresswell is still only 24 years old.

Therefore, Palace have clearly missed out on a bargain, with the defender more than capable of performing in the Premier League.

As a result, the club will be kicking themselves that they failed to finalise the transfer before his move to Rennes.

Crystal Palace still have major defensive concerns

One of the key problems at Palace at the moment is their defensive fragilities.

Before Saturday’s matches, the Eagles have the joint-worst record at the back in the Premier League after conceding eight goals in three matches.

This is something that majorly needs fixing, or the club could soon find themselves in a battle for survival.

Unfortunately, this just shows how much they could regret losing out on Cresswell, as the defender would also certainly improve their squad.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Palace can fix their leaky backline over the coming weeks and months.