Megan Sharpley, who is in a relationship with Dwight McNeil, expressed disapproval of Crystal Palace following the collapse of his proposed transfer in January.
Steve Parish, who serves as both co-owner and chairman of Crystal Palace, reached out to McNeil’s partner prior to the midfielder completing his switch to the club on Tuesday.
McNeil has put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Palace in a player-swap arrangement that saw Brennan Johnson head in the opposite direction to Everton.
The 26-year-old had come close to joining the Selhurst Park outfit during the January transfer window, when Palace had agreed to a loan deal with an option to purchase.
The agreement would have become a permanent £20m transfer, but it collapsed due to paperwork deadlines being missed, despite McNeil already undergoing a medical examination.
Once the move fell apart, Sharpley took to Instagram to voice her frustration with Palace, stating that society recognises mental health issues yet footballers are subjected to emotional manipulation because their salaries make it acceptable. She described being promised something only to be subjected to an emotional rollercoaster before having it snatched away at the last moment without any explanation.
BBC Sport has learned that Parish made contact to repair the relationship before finalising this week’s agreement.
McNeil arrived at Everton from Burnley in July 2022 for £20m and managed 15 goals across 128 appearances for the Merseyside club.
Palace have secured the FA Cup, Community Shield and Uefa Conference League over the past two campaigns.
McNeil commented that the squad has achieved remarkable things recently and he is eager to contribute to that momentum.
Parish described McNeil as someone who has demonstrated his capabilities in the Premier League.
Johnson joined Palace in a £35m transfer last January but found consistency elusive, featuring 26 times across all competitions without finding the net.
The Welsh international had moved to Tottenham Hotspur from Nottingham Forest in 2023 for a fee exceeding £45m, netting the decisive strike in May’s Europa League final before switching to Palace.