Romain Esse has endured a tough time at Crystal Palace since his £12m move from Millwall in January 2025.
The England U21 international was given just one Premier League start by Oliver Glasner since his move across south London, and was treated quite harshly by the Austrian – who even dropped him to the reserves after a poor performance in the Carabao Cup against Millwall last term.
Fortunately for Esse – who spent the second half of last season on loan at Coventry – the winger now has a clean slate at Selhurst Park after the appointment of Pierre Sage, and the man from Lambeth is clearly keen to impress the Frenchman as he gets down to work with a private trainer.
Would Oliver Glasner ruin his Crystal Palace legacy by moving to Nottingham Forest? 🤔
Romain Esse putting in the work ahead of life under Pierre Sage
Glasner – who is incredibly heading for Nottingham Forest – never seemed to like Esse, even subbing the Londoner on and off again during a clash against Liverpool at Anfield at the end of the 2024/25 season.
However, those inside Crystal Palace and the England U21 camp were impressed by how the Millwall academy graduate handled that rough treatment, as sources spoke highly of his attitude.
That has now been exemplified by the fact Esse is already putting in the work alongside a private trainer, before pre-season under Sage officially gets underway.
As the 21-year-old posted on Instagram, he has been working with myfootballcoach1 to improve his finishing ability and effectiveness when beating the defender, and to great effect by the looks of it.
After a difficult 2025/26 campaign in which Glasner sapped his confidence, it would be easy for Esse to shrink. However, he is seemingly doing the opposite, stepping up to ensure he is prepared for when work ahead of the 2026/27 season officially gets underway.
Sage proved himself capable of revitalising players like Florian Thauvin and Allan Saint-Maximin at RC Lens last season, so the Frenchman himself is not one to give up easily on a talented player.
That, combined with Esse’s own desire to improve, makes us feel the pair could get on quite well at Crystal Palace next season.
