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With less than a week before pre-season training begins, Crystal Palace’s threadbare squad remains in desperate need of strengthening.
Of course, they must first secure their new manager, with moves for both Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre both falling through just as the club thought they had found their man.
But they cannot afford to wait too much longer before launching into the transfer market and reinvigorating a squad which has had relatively little by way of investment since Sam Allardyce’s spending splurge in January 2017, when Jeffrey Schlupp, Patrick van Aanholt and Luka Milivojevic arrived for a total of around £40 million.
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Crystal Palace Under-18s came agonisingly close to winning the U18 Premier League South title, after losing out on goal difference to Fulham on Saturday.
The Cottagers victory over Chelsea means the Eagles finished runners-up, however: a phenomenal achievement in their first season at Category 1 level.
Paddy McCarthy’s young Eagles have worked tirelessly throughout the season and their fantastic performances are a credit to the club. After a season of hard work and dedication, check out how far they’ve come month by month in the season review below.
Pre-season
After the 2019/20 U18 Professional Development League season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Crystal Palace Under-18s found themselves in a new frontier after being moved up to the U18 Premier League South.
U18 manager McCarthy praised the midfielder, saying: “Jes is an example for the rest of the players because he’s had to work really hard to improve areas of his development and deal with disappointments of not being in the team.
“He’s knuckled down and seen the fruits of his labour and I think that’s an example to all the young players we have here. Now, Jes has to maintain that and keep focused.”
Rak-Sakyi is the fifth Under-18s player to sign a professional contract with the club this season, following David Omilabu, Tayo Adaramola, Fionn Mooney and Jadan Raymond.
Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea Under-18s 16 March 2021
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Late drama for a second game running saw Crystal Palace Under-18s defeat Chelsea through a David Omilabu brace, the Eagles trumping the Blues twice this season and ending the day top of the league.
Summary
The Eagles seek a second victory over Chelsea this season
The first half an hour is a quiet affair – with Chelsea pressuring their hosts and Palace seeking to catch them with fast, free-flowing counter-attacks
Both sides begin creating more chances after 30 minutes
The Blues’ Joe Haigh hits the crossbar with a 20-yard free-kick before Charlie Webster strikes the post