Chadi Riad

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

Crystal Palace's summer signing Chadi Riad arrived with genuine promise—a €12m acquisition from Real Betis in July 2024, signed on a five-year deal that signaled the club's faith in the 22-year-old Moroccan centre-back. With Palace sitting 14th in the table, Oliver Glasner's side needed defensive reinforcements, and Riad's aerial dominance (key strength: aerial presence) appeared perfectly suited to the Premier League's physical demands. In his brief 192 minutes across 4 appearances, the young defender showed flashes of the 83-cap experience he accumulated in Spain. He registered 1 goal and 1 assist before disaster struck—a cruciate ligament tear that has derailed his debut campaign entirely. His expected return date of November 22, 2025 casts a long shadow over Palace's defensive planning. When fit, Riad competes with England international Marc Guéhi (78 rating) and the reliable Chris Richards (73) for centre-back minutes. His 63 defending and 58 physicality ratings suggest a player built for the long-term, though the current injury setback represents a cruel interruption to a career that was just beginning to blossom at Selhurst Park.