This unexpected London club have taken over Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad this summer.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The discussion around London's biggest clubs often circles back to two main rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea - maybe even Tottenham if you're feeling brave.
The pair have won a quarter of all Premier League titles since 1992, while Chelsea's two Champions Leagues gives them an honour no other club in London can touch.
The Blues in particular have seen their success mirrored by their influence England squads in past international tournaments, with Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole all amongst the Three Lions' all-time highest appearance makers.
Frank Lampard was a mainstay in the England squad across his career. (Image credit: Alamy)
However, after a pair of underwhelming seasons at Stamford Bridge, the torch has been passed to another London club this summer after Gareth Southgate caused a stir on social media with his final squad selection.
The Blues are represented by one player, Cole Palmer, after former favourites Raheem Stirling and Ben Chilwell were left out.
Elsewhere, Arsenal have three players heading out with the Three Lions - Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka - while James Maddison's exclusion means that no Tottenham player will represent England at a major tournament since 1992.
Plucky Palace's Euro 2024 reward
Against all odds, the London club with the most players in Southgate's 26-man squad is Crystal Palace, with Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi and Dean Henderson all heading to Germany this summer.
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Wharton, who only made his senior international debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier in the week, made the cut rather unexpectedly, having impressed since joining the Eagles from Blackburn in January.
Harry Maguire's absense has opened the door for Guehi to cement his spot in the starting lineup this summer, having been a consistent performer at club level for a number of years now.
While Henderson and Eze are not expected to see much game time over the next month, Eze's unplayable creativity and technique in tight spaces could be invaluable to Southgate at times, particularly against sides who will try to sit deep.
Eze has attracted plenty of interest from across Europe this summer. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Buoyed by the arrival of manager Oliver Glasner midway through the season, Palace finished the season as one of the most in-form sides in the Premier League.
The Eagles won six of their last seven games in the league, including comprehensive wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa as well as an historic victory at Anfield.
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.
