Crystal Palace have their eyes set on raiding the Championship to find their next rising star, according to a recent report. It has been a frustrating start to the Premier League season for the Eagles, as they are winless in their opening seven league games and pressure is already mounting on Oliver Glasner.
Crystal Palace transfer news
Despite pressure starting to mount on Glasner, the South London side are seemingly already getting some plans in place for when the January transfer window opens. The Eagles could face a tricky January, as it appears that Eberechi Eze is now “open” to leaving the club, being tracked by Liverpool. Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Adam Warton is being looked at by Manchester United.
However, the club have their own plans for bringing players to the club, as it was reported last week that Palace are interested in signing Bazoumana Toure from Hammarby IF. Officials of the Premier League side have been sent to watch the player in person, and he could be someone they look to bring to the club in the near future to strengthen their forward options, costing around £8.4 million.
As well as keeping tabs on Toure, the South London side also have their eyes on a player much closer to home as they look to land another promising young star.
Freedman leading Crystal Palace charge for rising Championship star
The Daily Mirror, via The Hard Tackle, reports that Crystal Palace are interested in signing Romain Esse from Millwall. The 19-year-old has been identified as their next gem to come from England’s second tier.
Palace have a record of turning to the Championship and signing the most exciting talents, as that is where they found Michael Olise, Eze, and Wharton in recent years. The report states that Palace’s sporting director, Dougie Freedman, is a big fan of Esse, as he’s caught the eye this season with his performances for Millwall.
Freedman has personally watched Esse in action twice this season, and he now looks to be personally leading Palace’s charge to sign the promising young star. The midfielder signed a contract extension during the summer, which runs until 2026, but Millwall manager Neil Harris has admitted that Esse will be on the radar of a lot of Premier League clubs now.
Harris said on Esse: “Romain has huge potential. There will be a lot of interest. He has added to his end product this year already. If he carries on doing that, then Romain will certainly grace the Premier League at some stage.”
Esse is a product of Millwall’s academy, impressing in their under-18s before making a breakthrough into the first team during the 2022/23 season. He played 12 times that campaign and then followed that up by playing 25 times in the Championship last season, during which he scored two goals but failed to register an assist. The 19-year-old still has a lot of development to do, but he is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Eze.
