Exciting Crystal Palace academy star could be their next Zaha

Crystal Palace’s squad has been built really well in the past few years, with a mixture of experienced Premier League players being signed, some astute youngsters being poached for good fees, and even bringing some academy prospects of their own through.

Players like Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson were all signed for good fees relative to their potential ability.

Alongside clever additions such as Jefferson Lerma, Daichi Kamada, Daniel Munoz, Will Hughes, Ismaila Sarr, and Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who are more experienced members of the squad.

But it’s their academy that has plenty of promise to add more to this squad in the next year or so, adding to Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne who are the only real starters in the squad to come through the academy.

Crystal Palace’s upcoming academy stars

One of the brightest stars in the academy is winger, Asher Agbinone, who has made two sub appearances totalling four minutes for the Eagles this season. Oliver Glasner has used him from the bench, stating he has “a lot of pace” and calling him a “very good talent”.

Justin Devenny is another to have broken through this season, making two senior appearances alongside his eight U21 appearances this campaign. The 21-year-old made a heroic impact just last weekend, scoring his first Premier League goal against Aston Villa, as the sides drew 2-2 at Villa Park.

But one academy product who is currently out on loan, and could return to make a real impact for the Eagles, is Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, a player who teammate Marc Guehi praised as a player with “great potential” last season.

Why Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could be the new Zaha

Rak-Sakyi is making waves in the Championship this term, and has impressed of late. Indeed, he notably scored in Sheffield United’s 3-0 victory over Oxford on Tuesday night, also making three key passes in the game.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has made 17 appearances for the Blades, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 884 minutes. Sheffield United currently sit top of the Championship, and Rak-Sakyi has played a big part in that so far this season.

So, how could he fit into the current squad at Selhurst Park?

When comparing Rak-Sakyi to Wilfried Zaha in his last season at Palace, and new signing Sarr this season, the 22-year-old impressively comes out on top in seven of the ten metrics analysed, providing better output (goals + assists), more progressive carries per 90, and more creative actions such as take-ons, key passes and shot-creating actions.

A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.

These are all traits that Palace have been missing since losing Zaha, and also losing Michael Olise in the summer. Rak-Sakyi clearly looks like he could be the man to provide that extra creative edge from wide areas, certainly in comparison to summer signing Sarr who hasn’t had the fastest start to life with the Eagles.

Once the Eagles youngster returns next season, if Sarr fails to impress to a satisfactory level, he could well be given a chance in the first team, enabling him to finally become the Zaha replacement that Palace fans have been craving since his departure.