Two Academy Stars Sign Professional Contracts With Crystal Palace

Fresh from the disappointment of losing highly-rated defender Mandela Egbo to Borussia Mönchengladbach a week or so ago, Crystal Palace yesterday announced that academy stars Jake Gray and Ryan Inniss had put pen to paper on new contracts with the club.

Gray, an attacking midfielder often compared to Dougie Freedman in playing style, made his first-team debut against Walsall last season, before turning out against Newcastle at Selhurst Park in a later round of the same competition and will now be looking to get a first Premier League appearance under his belt within the next few months.

For Ryan Inniss, the upcoming campaign will likely take him back to Port Vale, where he spent time on loan last season. Despite his tender age, the central defender now poses an intimidating physical presence and will be keen to get back into the cut and thrust of regular league football in August, in a bid to catch Alan Pardew’s eye.

Whilst some have bemoaned the lack of opportunities on offer to academy products now that Palace are playing week in, week out in the Premier League, the unfortunate truth is that the standard required to make it at our current level is too high to take risks unnecessarily.

Clearly, in both Gray and Inniss, Pardew and his coaching staff feel there is enough potential for both to one day make their mark in the first-team, but we shouldn’t expect either to gain a regular place just yet, such is the depth of competition for places already in effect at Selhurst Park.

Best of luck to both Jake and Ryan for the years ahead.

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Eye-Catching Palace Defender Linked With Move Away

Just weeks after signing a new contract with the club, academy defender a Ryan Inniss is the subject of speculation linking him with a move to Port Vale once again.

With the towering centre-back having enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Midland outfit earlier on in the season, Vale’s boss Rob Page is desperate to do a deal with Palace, and it sounds as if Ryan himself is keen on the prospect too.

Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel about the possibility of a move for Inniss, Page said:

We have spoken to Palace and that is something the lad himself is keen to do.

“We are keen to do it so I think within the next couple of weeks we will have more news. But it is an obvious one because all the supporters know the impact he had when he came into the club.”

Whilst some outlets are suggesting that the discussed switch is likely to be a permanent one, it seems unlikely that Palace would sanction such a move so shortly after rewarding the academy man with a new deal. Admittedly, it is going to be extremely tough for him to force his way into the Eagles first-team in the years to come but even so, a full-time change so soon after putting pen to paper on a new deal seems a little odd.

A season-long loan is perhaps a far more feasible option for all parties, with Vale and Inniss given the security of knowing where they stand, whilst we, as the club who gave him his first terms as a professional, don’t lose the option of one day bringing him into our own starting eleven, should the coaching staff feel that he is ready for the challenge.

We shall see soon enough.

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