Fast, technical and rock-solid. There is no shortage of adjectives to describe the qualities of the Frenchman. After arriving in the Premier League from Wolfsburg in the summer, Maxence Lacroix immediately made his mark at Crystal Palace and established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. His meteoric rise seems to be just the beginning of his fame.
Palace's recruit of the season
To secure the services of a new central defender, the Eagles had to part company with Joachim Andersen (a player at the club since 2021). It was a sacrifice that left fans sceptical. But it was worth it, as Lacroix grew so accustomed to the Premier League that he became a fan favourite after just six months.
It has to be said that he has proven himself to be a serious player. Always ready to help his teammates, he sits in the centre of his side's three-man defence with authority. According to Sky Sports, he has come out on top of 70% of the one-on-one duels he has faced this season, a success rate 12% higher than any other player in the Premier League.
An excellent one-on-one player, he likes to defend just as much as he likes to dribble. All of these qualities make him a colourful and quite spectacular player for a defender. And that's something the fans love.
He has also played every minute of the team's last 14 matches, during which the Eagles have lost just twice (conceding just 17 goals). That's much improved after their eight-game losing streak at the start of the season. An impressive achievement, and one that also bears witness to the player's ease of adaptation.
A Glasner mainstay and a future big name?
For the moment, Lacroix is only at the start of his career. Trained at Sochaux, the player left the Franche-Comte in 2020 to make his debut in Germany (2020-2024). At the age of 24, he seized his chance at Palace. But not by chance. While breaking into the English game is a dream shared by many footballers, Lacroix logically chose the club from the London suburbs.
He had already played under Olivier Glasner at Wolfsburg, so he knew what to expect on the other side of the Channel. And even though he was used to playing in a four-man defence in the Bundesliga, he was quickly able to adapt to his coach's demands. Combine that with a quick immersion in English football, and you get the fine performances he is putting in today.
He has also brought stability to a team in peril after the departure of stars such as Michael Olise. His defensive cover is such that he is reassuring both in the box and on the counter-attack. A very quick player (10th out of 518 in the PL, according to Sky Sports), he brings a sense of serenity that makes life tough for opposition attackers. His total of 36 interceptions puts him second only to Antonee Robinson this season.
And if that wasn't enough to make him one of the hottest defenders in the Premier League, Lacroix is no slouch when it comes to building from the back line or trying his luck in attack. His understanding with his midfielders enables Palace to be a threat offensively. His confidence is underlined by his 15 shots this season, one less than Virgil van Dijk and three less than Gabriel Magalhaes.
Given his fine first year in the Premier League, it is clear that the French defender will be eagerly watched in the near future. If he continues to perform well, he could follow in the footsteps of his compatriots and perhaps even move on to bigger clubs. In the meantime, he will continue to to thrive at Crystal Palace.
