Crystal Palace may have had a difficult summer, but there is one non-signing that they can now look back on without regret – Joel Ordóñez.
Fans will remember that the Colombian was close to moving to Crystal Palace late in the transfer window.
Sport Witness covered it extensively at the time, with Palace initially moving quickly to hijack Aston Villa’s move for the 22-year-old.
They succeeded on that front and got the defender to London, where a medical took place ahead of final confirmation. Sport Witness explained at the time how this medical was key. The centre-back is currently out of action with a metatarsal fracture.
Medical cancellation
It’s already seen him miss 77 days and eight games for Club Brugge, and Crystal Palace were keen to test it before committing to a big deal. Those tests proved crucial as he failed the medicals and Crystal Palace cancelled the deal.
That decision upset some, but it was a smart one ot make in hindsight. As Voetbalkrant explain, Ordóñez is still not ready to return for Brugge this season.
Furthermore, it has now been determined that he requires surgery on the injury he picked up at the World Cup. That could mean an absence of three to four months if it ends up happening. That’s come as a major blow for Brugge. They now face the prospect of having extremely limited defensive options in the coming months.
Long-term absence
All indications are that the fracture is worse than feared and Crystal Palace realised it too. They clearly thought the risk of a prolonged absence was too great to sanction a €30m deal. That was clearly the smart choice in hindsight.
Ordóñez now faces months out and, perhaps regrets his decision to play on during the World Cup when he first picked up the knock. He had initially taken medication for it, but it left him unable to put weight on the foot after a clash against Germany.
He subsequently spent much of his holiday in a cast and on crutches. Now, months later, the issue isn’t resolved. It’s already ruined a move to Crystal Palace and now his season at Club Brugge.
