Romain Esse has endured a pretty tough time at Crystal Palace following his January move from Millwall. But things are looking up for the youngster.
Romain Esse left Millwall for Crystal Palace at the start of the year. But the 20-year-old is yet to start a Premier League match for the Eagles.
He made seven league appearances last season and has one to his name this time round. Recently, Oliver Glasner was critical of Esse’s Crystal Palace form.
In September, Esse started the Carabao Cup win over Millwall but was hauled off at half-time, with Glasner publicly criticising the youngster’s performance that night.
Since, Esse has been dropped to the Palace U21s side. But he’s responding well to Glasner’s treatment.
Romain Esse now earns England U21 call up
This week, Esse scored twice for Crystal Palace’s U21s in the Premier League 2 win over Birmingham City. He’s putting himself back in contention for the first-team with this kind of form and now he’s been rewarded on the international stage too.
Journalist Bobby Manzi has revealed on X that Esse has now been added to the England U21 side for the 2027 U21 EURO qualifier in Moldova on Friday, in what is a 5pm kick off.
It’s a reward for his positive reaction to the recent dramas at Selhurst Park. And if he can feature in the game on Friday night and put in a good shift, then it’ll only further his case for Glasner to return him to the first-team picture at Crystal Palace.
What Millwall fans chanted at Romain Esse during Crystal Palace clash
With Millwall, Esse quickly established himself as an up and coming talent in the Football League. In 2024/25 he made 24 league appearances and scored four times. But it wasn’t a happy return to The Den last month.
Millwall fans labelled Esse a ‘waste of money’ after his first half nightmare. Crystal Palace actually paid £12million for the youngster who’s landed a long-term contract right through until 2030.
What this season holds for Esse remains to be seen. It’s certainly his fate to decide and recently, the signs are positive. But if he can’t get back into the fold at Palace then a loan move, possibly in January, could be the best option for all involved.
Crystal Palace return to action against Bournemouth next weekend.
