It is no small feat to be not only available from August to May – particularly so for Henderson, whose game time had been limited in previous seasons by injury, and for Sarr, who was in his first season as a Crystal Palace player – but also to remain in the excellent form required to keep catching the manager's eye.
Henderson started all 38 Premier League games for the club this season, keeping 11 clean sheets, whilst Sarr made 30 starts and eight substitute appearances, recording an impressive eight league goals and seven assists.
A word, too, for three other Eagles: Jean-Philippe Mateta, Daniel Muñoz and Tyrick Mitchell all came close to joining the club this season, featuring in 37 Premier League matches; Mateta missed out against Ipswich in March; Muñoz against Arsenal in December; and Mitchell was on the bench for our penultimate match of the season versus Wolves.
But which other Eagles have done that most elusive of achievements and completed a full Premier League season, featuring in all 38 matches of a campaign? Let’s take a look…
2023/24
Joachim Andersen was the sole Palace player to join our Premier League ever-presents club in 2023/24, having started all 38 of the Eagles' league matches before his switch to Fulham in the summer.
The Denmark international falls, remarkably, just three minutes short of having played every league minute of the campaign – coming off in the closing stages of our final-day win over Aston Villa, albeit for the worthy cause of giving James Tomkins a fitting send-off at Selhurst Park.
Mitchell once again was close to joining the club, playing 37 times in the Premier League in 23/24, missing solely a mid-season loss to Liverpool.
2022/23
Ebere Eze and Jordan Ayew both started against Nottingham Forest on the final day of the 2022/23 season to take their place amongst this select club.
It was a particularly impressive feat for Eze, who was back playing his first full season following a terribly unfortunate Achilles injury.
Eze scored 10 goals and created four more across a campaign so impressive it earned him his then-first call-up to the England national squad, while Ayew’s four goals and three assists proved vital in securing safety for the Eagles under Roy Hodgson.
2019/20
As with almost every record at Crystal Palace Football Club, Wilfried Zaha makes an appearance. Under Roy Hodgson, he remained the first name on the teamsheet: “The honest answer is that when Wilf is fit, he will play.”
Zaha scored four times that season as Palace finished 14th. Jordan Ayew – top scorer that season – and James McArthur were just a game short of completing the set.
