Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish personally contacted Dwight McNeil's partner before the midfielder completed his move to Selhurst Park this week.

McNeil, 26, signed a four-year contract with Palace in a swap deal that sent Brennan Johnson in the opposite direction to Everton. The agreement brings to a close a transfer saga that had been months in the making.

A deal that almost wasn't

Palace and Everton had originally agreed a loan-to-buy arrangement in January, with a £20 million permanent fee attached. The deal collapsed at the final hurdle, however, when the required paperwork could not be completed in time — despite McNeil having already undergone and passed a medical.

The breakdown drew a sharp public response from McNeil's partner, Megan Sharpley, who took to Instagram to express her frustration. "We live in a world where everyone is aware of how big a problem mental health is," she wrote. "So, in football, why do we find it acceptable because these young men are on a lot of money and that's OK to mess and toy with their mental health and that it's just part of the job?"

Sharpley described the experience as being "dragged along on an emotional rollercoaster" and said having the move "torn away at the last second with absolutely no explanation has hurt more than I can say."

BBC Sport understands that Parish reached out to Sharpley to smooth things over before this week's transfer was finalised.

McNeil's Palace ambitions

McNeil made the move from Burnley to Everton for £20 million in July 2022, going on to score 15 goals in 128 appearances for the Toffees. He now arrives at a Palace side riding high on recent silverware.

Palace have claimed the FA Cup, the Community Shield, and the UEFA Conference League over the past two seasons, and McNeil is eager to be part of what comes next. "The lads have had some great success over the last two seasons. It's something that I want to be a part of, so I'm really looking forward to getting started," he said.

Parish described McNeil as "a player with proven ability in the Premier League," underlining the club's confidence in the signing.

Johnson heads to Everton

Brennan Johnson, who arrived at Palace from Nottingham Forest via Tottenham Hotspur — where he scored the winning goal in the UEFA Europa League final last May — struggled to make an impact at Selhurst Park. The Wales winger joined Palace in a £35 million deal in January but managed just 26 appearances across all competitions without finding the net before his departure to Everton.