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Club Legend Nathaniel Clyne departs Crystal Palace
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- Club Legend Nathaniel Clyne departs Crystal Palace
(Grace Holloway)
Grace Holloway reflects on the departure of Clyne .
Crystal Palace have confirmed that Nathaniel Clyne has left the club, after his contract expired at the end of the 2025/26 season.
He leaves as one of the most decorated players in Palace history, and was part of the club's incredible 15 year journey from the Championship to becoming European Champions.
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It is unconfirmed what is next for the 35-year-old.
Red and Blue from the beginning
Clyne began his time at Palace through the Academy, becoming one of their best graduates. He made his senior debut at 17-years-old in October 2008 with a 3-0 win over Barnsley.
The full back made 137 appearances over the next four years, including featuring in the landmark Survival Sunday win over Sheffield Wednesday in 2010. Clyne then departed Selhurst Park for Southampton in 2012, before moving to Liverpool in 2015 where he would reach two European Finals.
During his time away from Palace, the 35-year-old made 14 appearances for the England Senior Men's Squad.
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Returning home after seven years away, Clyne re-joined his boyhood club in 2020 on a short-term contract. Initially brought in to provide cover, Clyne provided a strong value to the squad with a true depth of experience in the squad and played a core role in maintaining stability in the Premier League under several managers.
Since re-joining he made 115 appearances across the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Conference League. Although opportunities became more limited in recent seasons, Clyne remained a dependable option across the back line, ready to step in when needed.
History making
Clyne was part of the history making Palace squad, that delivered a first major trophy with the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2025. He was on the bench for both of the matches at Wembley, and took part in three of the matches on the way to the FA Cup Final.
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After Joel Ward departed in the summer of 2025, Clyne provided the most experienced voice in the Palace squad, with the true understanding of what it means to play in red and blue.
This was important in Palace's first ever European campaign under Oliver Glasner. Clyne was involved in three Conference league matches, coming off the bench against AZ Alkmaar, Shelbourne and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Clyne reflected on this journey: "The last few seasons have given me some of the best days of my life, I'm proud of these achievements, proud of myself and the football club.
"When I started at Crystal Palace we were in the Championship. Now the club is playing European football, having nights like we did in Leipzig.
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"I'm just so happy that I've been a part of that, it's meant so much to me and my family.
"I just want to say thank you to the fans, thank you to the staff and all my teammates for helping me achieve this."
His departure marks the end of the chapter on one of the club's own, someone who took an incredible journey with the club rising from the academy and leaving in one of the greatest eras of Palace history.
