Crystal Palace have bolstered their goalkeeping ranks with the capture of Walter Benitez from PSV Eindhoven.
The 32-year-old custodian joins on a free from the Dutch champions following the expiry of his contract.
“Walter is an excellent addition to our squad, bringing further quality, experience and competition to our goalkeeping department alongside Dean [Henderson] and Remi [Matthews].” – Steve Parish
It’s quite the coup for the Eagles, given that he could have gone elsewhere and guaranteed himself first-team football.
As it is, he’ll surely play back-up – at least initially – to Dean Henderson, who was one of the Premier League’s stand-out shot-stoppers in 2024/25. Benitez effectively takes the place of Matt Turner, who was on loan from Nottingham Forest last season.
Benitez was an ever-present starter for PSV last season as the Dutch giants pipped Ajax to the Eredivisie title. They had won it the year before, too.
PSV didn’t exactly boast a stout defensive record: nine top-flight clean sheets was fewer than six other teams. Benitez did record double the number of shut-outs in 2023/24 (18), at least.
It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for the once-capped Argentina international in the Netherlands.
Having boasted a strong expected goals prevented record in Ligue with Nice, it’s been up and down since:
Above: Walter Benitez’s expected goals prevented figure (on the far right) in his previous seasons, via Fbref. Dean Henderson ended 2024/25 with an xGP of +2.10.
His numbers against elite opposition, specifically in the UEFA Champions League, have also been poor – not that he can solely carry the can for PSV’s defensive failings at the highest level:
Above: Walter Benitez’s goalkeeping numbers in the last two seasons of the Champions League, via StatsBomb (click to expand)
So, then, very likely nothing to worry about for prospective Henderson owners come Gameweek 1.
Expect Benitez to get runouts in the EFL Cup and, if UEFA permit it, the Europa League initially, with Henderson retaining his status as the Premier League number one.
Benitez is seen as an upgrade on Turner; he’s made the Argentina bench in all 10 of their last internationals. Beyond that, it’s Henderson’s shirt to lose.
