Quinten Timber to Crystal Palace
Eagles complete deadline-day deal

1. 2 Sept
   Transfer confirmed

   Crystal Palace and Marseille confirmed Quinten Timber's transfer, with Palace announcing a five-year contract.
2. 1 Sept
   Talks resume

   Marseille and Crystal Palace reopened talks on transfer deadline day, agreeing a deal before the window closed.

Crystal Palace completed a deadline-day move for Netherlands international Quinten Timber, signing the Marseille midfielder for a reported €20m.

Crystal Palace have signed Quinten Timber from Marseille, completing the move on transfer deadline day for a reported fee of around €20m including add-ons. The 25-year-old Netherlands international has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Selhurst Park that runs until 2031. Marseille and Crystal Palace confirmed the transfer within hours of each other, with Palace announcing the signing on their official website.

Palace chairman Steve Parish said Timber's experience at both club and international level made him a natural fit for the Premier League, describing him as a player whose "leadership, tenacity and ability" the club expects to flourish at Selhurst Park. Head coach Pierre Sage, who replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer, wanted an established central midfielder who could retain possession and drive play forward, and Timber had been on Palace's radar since the spring, when he was also linked with Aston Villa. Palace had also been chasing Sunderland target Malick Fofana on deadline day itself, and turned to Timber once that move looked set to go elsewhere.

Marseille only bought Timber from Feyenoord in January, for a reported €4.5m, so his sale represents a big profit inside eight months. The French club have been working to meet spending limits set by the DNCG, France's financial watchdog for professional football, and have sold several first-team players this summer to balance the books. Timber made 17 appearances for Marseille, playing under three different head coaches in a turbulent spell, and leaves the club with a smaller pool of experienced central-midfield options.

Timber's form has held up despite the upheaval around him. He was part of Ronald Koeman's Netherlands squad at the 2026 World Cup this summer and has continued to win caps for his country, taking his total beyond a dozen. Before his move to France he captained Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title and the Dutch Cup, underlining the leadership Palace have pointed to since completing the signing. He is the twin brother of Arsenal and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber, and the pair will now both play their club football in the Premier League for the first time.

At Palace, Timber is expected to compete for a starting role in central midfield, where his passing range and willingness to carry the ball forward should suit a team that likes to build attacks through midfield. He arrives with experience of two different European leagues inside the space of a year, at Feyenoord and then Marseille, which should help him adjust quickly to the physical demands of the Premier League. How much he plays this season will depend on how fast he settles into Pierre Sage's plans, but Palace have moved for a player with genuine top-flight and international pedigree to strengthen their options in the middle of the park.

• Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

• Palace sign Netherlands international Quinten Timber
• Official | Crystal Palace sign Marseille midfielder Quinten Timber
• Crystal Palace announce Quinten Timber signing
• Marseille's Quinten Timber set for Crystal Palace transfer
• Mercato I L'OM réalise une vente tardive avec Quinten Timber à Crystal Palace