Crystal Palace have raided South London neighbours Millwall to capture 19‑year‑old winger Romain Esse for an initial £14.5 million, smashing the Lions’ record sale. Esse signs a five‑and‑a‑half‑year deal and takes shirt 21. A Millwall academy graduate, he logged 23 Championship outings this season, scoring four and leading all teenage forwards in successful dribbles per 90. Palace triggered a release clause and beat West Ham and Brentford to his signature.
Chairman Steve Parish called the transfer proof Palace is the capital’s premier pathway club, citing success stories like Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. Data scouts loved Esse’s explosiveness and pressing output—metrics tailor‑made for Oliver Glasner’s system. Millwall negotiated a 15 percent sell‑on while performance bonuses could lift the package beyond £18 million. Esse impressed in a behind‑closed‑doors friendly, scoring twice, and could debut from the bench against Brentford.
The teenager said the move is a dream, vowing to bring energy, flair and graft. With Palace’s wage bill still modest, the club can afford calculated bets on high‑ceiling youth, and Esse epitomises a strategy that mines South London’s overflowing talent pool.
