David Ozoh is a talent who many Crystal Palace fans feel is capable of making it at Selhurst Park.
The 21-year-old shone on loan at Derby last season, and memorably made a notable impact against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City of all sides in December 2023 as the Eagles fought back from 2-0 down to claim a 2-2 draw.
With Adam Wharton potentially leaving – while Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes both approach their 32nd birthdays – it would make sense to keep Ozoh around, but an update from The Athletic now suggests the England U18 international could be off.
Any reason why David Ozoh should NOT be given a chance, Palace fans? 🤔
He's already proven he can perform at this level, and that was back in 2023! 😅
David Ozoh more likely to leave permanently than get a chance under Pierre Sage
Matt Woosnam now writes that the Valencia-born midfielder is more likely to seal a permanent move back to Derby this summer than break into the Crystal Palace side.
Pierre Sage hardly has a massive midfield department as it is with only Wharton, Hughes, Lerma and Daichi Kamada – should he sign a new deal as expected – to fill two positions in the starting XI.
Considering the UEFA Europa League includes eight league phase games compared to the six we played in the UEFA Conference League last term, a larger squad with more options is going to be needed, so we see no harm in keeping Ozoh around.
The Crystal Palace academy graduate would surely get an ample amount of playing time. We finished 15th in the Premier League last season as our thin squad generally struggled to balance European football with domestic action, so it would make little sense to sell Ozoh given his current ability and vast potential to improve.
There is the matter of his contract which is probably playing on the mind of Steve Parish.
Ozoh only has 12 months left on his terms before he becomes a free agent in July 2027 – so Parish might be looking at this situation with his financial head on, especially considering the sale of academy products goes down as 100% profit in the books.
Ultimately, we doubt anybody would pay over £5m for the midfielder at the moment. However, were Ozoh – who Jeffrey Schlupp admired – to shine next season, his value could easily reach the £30m mark given his age.
Furthermore, we doubt there would be many hitches when it comes to agreeing a new contract with the box-to-box midfielder considering how much he loves Crystal Palace.
After impressing in that aforementioned 2-2 draw against Manchester City, he said: “Celebrating in front of the fans as well, after that, I got a really good picture. It was a good moment. It was a heart-to-heart with the fans, just the love and appreciation and everything.
“I’ve been here for a long time. I’ve been here since I was ten, so to be able to celebrate with the fans was great. It was the best feeling ever.”
Crystal Palace’s fixtures are out for the 2026/27 season! Which game are you most excited for? 🤔
If we were to sell a player this passionate about Crystal Palace for a minimal fee, especially with such a thin midfield department as it is, we doubt the fanbase will be too pleased.
