Their next Olise: Crystal Palace have found another "exciting" teen star

Crystal Palace made two big additions during the winter transfer window, looking to equip Oliver Glasner with the necessary tools to compete in the second half of the season, as the Eagles aim for back-to-back top-half finishes.

Glasner’s side spent around £11.8m during the window, bringing Romain Esse to the club from Millwall on a permanent deal and bringing Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell in on loan, with a deadline day swoop for the 28-year-old England left-back.

With the window now shut, Palace could also look to call upon certain U21 players to play their part in the second half of the season, using their talented academy to plug holes in the squad and help Glasner address any issues that may crop up.

The best of Crystal Palace’s academy

The main academy player making a big splash in the Premier League squad this campaign is 21-year-old Justin Devenny.

He has already made 13 first-team appearances, scoring one goal and totalling 299 minutes played. The midfielder has shown his ability to provide versatility from the bench, playing in midfield, attacking midfield and even out wide on occasions to do a job for the team.

Another U21 player who is staking his claim this season is 18-year-old Caleb Kporha, who has made three first-team appearances. The right-back has made his first few senior outings as a wingback, playing in the Daniel Munoz role when entering the fray, showing his athletic qualities to fulfil this role, getting up and down the pitch and covering the necessary ground.

But one U21 star who has been loaned out during the January window, and therefore will not play a part in the second half of this campaign. That said, he’s an exciting prospect and could go on to become their Michael Olise replacement when he returns.

Crystal Palace’s new Olise

Asher Agbinone has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season for Palace but has now been loaned to League Two side, Gillingham, where he has already made three appearances, totalling 200 minutes for the club.

The 18-year-old has already been praised by his new Gillingham boss, John Coleman, who labelled the youngster an “exciting” asset for their team.

Despite being a natural winger, Agbinone has already played as a number ten for the League Two side, being involved in everything and winning man of the match on his debut.

When looking at all three of Olise’s seasons at Crystal Palace, you can see his gradual progression from joining the club from Reading at 19-years-old to his 2023/24 season, which earned the Frenchman his move to Bayern Munich, establishing himself as one of the world’s best in his position.

It was an EFL education at Reading that proved critical and Agbinone – another flashy forward player – is now enjoying his own lessons in the English football pyramid.

Since Olise left the club, Palace have lacked that cutting edge from the right side, a player who can go both ways, cut inside to get shots off/clip inswinging crosses into the box, whilst also having the capacity to beat their man on the outside 1v1 and deliver clever passes into the box to create for his teammates.

Well, in Agbinone, a player who has completed an impressive 1.3 dribbles per game, the most of any Gills player in 2024/25, they may have their man soon enough.

Allowing the teen to develop on loan with less pressure on his shoulders, before making his return in the summer to be reassessed for a first-team squad spot next season seems the most sensible decision. If the 18-year-old can be managed effectively, he could undergo a similar rise to the top that Olise took at Palace.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.