Crystal Palace beat the summer transfer window to sign Anthony Gardner from Hull City on loan until 3rd January 2011.

The centre half has spent the past two years with the Tigers, having signed from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 after a successful loan spell.

Having quickly settled into his new surroundings, both the club and player decided to make it a permanent move and, two days before Hull made their Premier League debut, Gardner agreed a permanent deal for a new club record fee of £2.5million in a three-year deal.

Originally a centre-forward or left-winger, he started his career at Port Vale and made his debut against Sheffield United in October 1998.

After 44 appearances for Vale he earned a £1million move to Spurs in January 2000, and was hailed as the long-term replacement for Sol Campbell.

His early Spurs career was blighted by injury though, and in his first three seasons he managed just 40 appearances.

During the 2003-04 campaign he eventually managed to establish himself with 33 appearances for the club, as well his first call-up to the England senior squad for the friendly against Denmark in November 2003.

The following season he was again hampered by a series of niggling injuries but the 2005-06 campaign saw him strike up a strong centre-back paring with Michael Dawson and claim another 16 starts.

His Spurs injury jinx was to strike again in 2006-07 when, during the FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he fell awkwardly and fractured his fibula.

He returned for the start of the 2007-08 campaign, but was soon to be sidelined again by an ankle problem.

Unable to force his way back into the White Hart Lane reckoning following the appointment of new manager Juande Ramos, he went out on loan to Everton during the January transfer window but failed to make a senior appearance for the Toffees and joined Hull later that year.