June 30th has now passed, and several players have officially left Crystal Palace as a result.
The likes of Kaden Rodney and Zach Marsh have been released from Selhurst Park despite shining in the youth ranks over the years, while Asher Agbinone has also been let go.
It seems as if the 20-year-old was a popular figure at Crystal Palace, as several members of the squad reached out to him on Instagram after his exit became official.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Tyrick Mitchell sends ‘love’ to Asher Agbinone as Rio Cardines and David Ozoh also respond
Agbinone – who Oliver Glasner praised in the summer of 2024, weeks before giving the winger his Premier League debut – received a heart emoji (❤️) from Mitchell after announcing his departure.
David Ozoh – returning from an impressive loan spell at Derby – also commented, leaving three heart emojis in response to his former academy teammate’s exit from SE25.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Caleb Kporha also sent heart emojis, while Rio Cardines wrote: “All the best bro ❤️🦾.”
Furthermore, Joel Drakes-Thomas, who became the youngest Englishman to feature in the UEFA Conference League when appearing against KuPS last season aged 16 years and 192 days, added: “All the best big bro ❤️🩹🙏🏽.”
Few people would have expected Agbinone to be released after he broke into the side early on into the 2024/25 campaign, but that is the nature of football at this level if one fails to keep progressing.
Previously, players like Agbinone would have been the shining light of our academy, but as the trophies keep coming and our level as a club rises higher and higher, the tougher it will be for young talents to make a name for themselves.
Hopefully, a truly precocious talent emerges soon and receives a chance under Pierre Sage, as there is nothing like seeing an academy graduate shining for the first-team on a regular basis.
