Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of teenager Romain Esse from Millwall.
The Pitch Prospect understands the Eagles will pay around £14m for Esse, who signs a five-and-a-half year contract and will wear the number 21 shirt.
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It is a club record sale for Millwall, more than doubling the £6.6m transfer fee Middlesbrough paid for George Saville in 2019.
Esse will not be available for Saturday’s game against West Ham but can make his Premier League debut at home to Brentford on January 26.
Newcastle, Brighton and Bournemouth have all been linked with a move for the highly-rated 19-year-old.
Esse came through the Lions’ youth system and made his debut at the age of 17 as a late substitute on Boxing Day 2022 in a 2-0 win over Watford.
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The versatile attacking midfielder made his breakthrough in the first team this season, starting all but one championship game, scoring four goals and providing one assist.
Upon arrival at Selhurst Park, Esse said: “I’m really pleased to be here. It’s a good project and a good opportunity, so I can’t wait to get started.”
Palace chairman Steve Parish added: “We are delighted to welcome Romain to Crystal Palace and look forward to working with him to continue his impressive progress to date.”
“Romain is the type of player who brings audiences out of their seats – the type of player who has long been associated with South London and Crystal Palace Football Club – and everyone at the club is looking forward to seeing him shine on the pitch to realize its exciting potential.” .”
Esse has also represented England at youth level, making 22 appearances for the Young Lions, most recently for the U20s.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner needs a spark as they sit 15th in the Premier League and eight points clear of relegation.
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This is in stark contrast to last season’s finish, when they remained unbeaten in their last seven games.
With successful Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise, they beat Aston Villa 5-0, beat Manchester United 4-0 and even beat Liverpool.
They finished in tenth place despite battling relegation at the start of the season and it looked like they could achieve a better position this season.
However, Bayern Munich snapped up the £50.7million signing of Olise and the France international has been a major failure in south London ever since.
Former Watford player Ismaila Sarr was signed for £12.5m but failed to repeat Olise’s numbers.
The 26-year-old scored four goals and prepared three in 21 league games.
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The fans hope that Esse can add more dynamism to their attack and bring joy to the spectators again.