Crystal Palace had no plans to cancel a Dwight McNeil move on deadline day despite the transfer falling through.
McNeil’s girlfriend Megan Sharpley shared an emotional social media post on Monday in which she said the Everton midfielder was “played with until the last minute”.
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The Pitch Prospect understands Palace are sympathetic to McNeil’s predicament and have simply run out of time trying to get the deal over the finish line.
Negotiations were underway late in the day and Palace had started with the hope that the fee would be £10 million. But with the additions it soon became clear that Everton wanted £20 million.
An agreement in principle was reached at 6:15 p.m., 45 minutes before the deadline, but payment terms were still being finalized and the formalization still had to undergo legal review.
In the end, time ran out and Everton insiders insisted Palace exit.
Palace had a genuine intention to get the transfer over the finish line and Jean-Philippe Mateta’s stay at Selhurst Park had no bearing on the decision not to proceed.
The failed transfer prompted Sharpley to express her disappointment in a statement posted on Instagram.
Open social media post
She paid glowing tribute to McNeil before questioning the football industry and its role in protecting players’ mental health when transfers fall through.
Sharpley wrote: “Dwight, I have always been in awe of your job, the way you have devoted most of your life to achieving what only 0.1 percent achieve.”
“I know you love your job and the sport and know how lucky you are to do what most people only dream of.”
“We appreciate our lives, how lucky we are, and the millions of football fans who keep the sport alive and ultimately secure you the job you love.”
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“You have sacrificed a lot and most people have no idea of the difficult hardships you have endured and overcome in your personal life and we move on, this is who we are, we appreciate how blessed our lives are.”
“But the world doesn’t seem to accept that someone as lucky as you is allowed to suffer difficulties and be sad, but you are a human being, a beautiful, incredible 26-year-old human being, and no matter the money or the success you’ve worked so hard for, you’re allowed to feel.”
Her statement continued: “Tonight and the last 48 hours have broken my heart to see how cruel the football world you love so much can be to you.”
“To be promised something, to be dragged along on an emotional rollercoaster ride and to have played with it until the last minute.”
“To have been promised four and a half years of your life, to have travel, to have medical treatments, to have arrangements made…promises to have been prepared to move your entire life, our lives, 100 miles away in a matter of hours.”
“To have it ripped away from you at the last second, without any explanation. Walking away from it all – in radio silence, no phone calls, no communication, and being left behind, heartbroken and nothing but confusion, hurt more than I can say.”
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“I sit with you and know in my heart and deep in my soul that you will bounce back from this.
“I am your biggest supporter and I know you will get through this with a fire in your belly and a motivation that no one can stop.”
“I’ve already seen it tonight, even though you’re facing the lowest point of your career.”
“We deserve respect”
Explaining the “brutal” nature of the football industry, she added: “We live in a world where everyone is aware of how big a problem mental health is.”
“Why do we find it acceptable in football that it’s OK to struggle with your mental health and play when these young men are making a lot of money and that it’s just ‘part of the job’?”
“No matter how much money we have, we all deserve to be treated with respect, kindness and fairness.
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“That’s why I’m really questioning the industry tonight. I just hope more is done in the future to protect people from situations like the one I experienced tonight. Football is brutal and yes, that’s the nature of the beast, but messing with people’s feelings and emotions shouldn’t be acceptable.”
“People only see one side in the media, you don’t see the tears, the emotions and the despair that I saw tonight.”
“Dwight, to the present and the future. Everything happens for a reason, I will always believe that what is meant for you will find you, and with your hard work and determination, I will never doubt that only the best will come your way, and I am so excited to see what you can achieve…”
Reacting to the failed transfer, McNeil wrote: “Although I am still in the dark now, I am an Everton player, what I know and what I have been supported by.”
“I’ll use this as motivation, I love you moo, I can’t thank you enough for all your love and support.”