Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Romain Esse from Millwall in an initial £12million deal.
Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate January’s senior Premier League transfers. This is a continuation of the project we launched last summer, but we have also made some significant tweaks to how we assess each deal.
Gone are the five scores out of 100, and in their place are 10 ratings of 50. This should allow for much more nuance to be reflected in the analysis and, importantly, variability in the overall figure each transfer ends up with. Follow the link below for more background on the changes.
GO DEEPER
The Athletic 500: What we learned and why we’ve changed our transfer scoring system
Tactical fit — 38/50
Esse is an exciting prospect with a bright future. His status as a left-footer who is comfortable operating near the byline or cutting inside into the half-spaces makes him a better fit for the right-sided attacking midfield position in Oliver Glasner’s system than the right-footed Ismaila Sarr. Esse has generally played in wider areas for Millwall, so it will be a learning curve for him at Palace, especially in his out-of-possession work.
Esse’s arrival should help right wing-back Daniel Munoz, whose influence in attack has grown in recent games. Esse is fantastic in one-on-one situations, which will offer Munoz opportunities to get forward into better goalscoring and crossing positions. In the Championship, Norwich City’s Borja Sainz and Swansea City’s Ronald have attempted more take-ons than Esse’s 123 (5.5 per 90 minutes) and only Sainz has recorded more successful take-ons than his 51 (2.3 per 90), as illustrated in the graphic below.
Esse’s passing is a work in progress as he takes risks even when the situation warrants simpler passes. He is a good crosser, though, attempting 3.0 crosses per 90 and enjoying a decent 32 per cent success rate on chipped open-play crosses. Defensively, his 5.0 recoveries per 90 ranks high among wingers, but he has had his struggles aerially.
There is plenty to like about Esse’s fit into Glasner’s system and his overall qualities, but his adaptation to the Premier League will take its course. He joins Palace as they enjoy a six-match unbeaten run across competitions (including three successive wins), adding to the feel-good factor at Selhurst Park.
Injury record – 48/50
Barring a couple of instances of cramp and a groin injury that forced him to miss a match in December, Esse has a clean bill of health.
Market value – 41/50
Palace paid Esse’s release clause of £12million ($14.6m), which seems like a great investment on a teenager who has shown he has the potential to be a Premier League star. Delivering consistently in the top-flight is difficult, but Esse looks like he has what it takes.
Esse celebrates a goal against Plymouth Argyle in October (Warren Little/Getty Images)
Contract rationale – 45/50
A five-and-a-half-year contract should give Esse enough time to develop into the player he has shown he can be, while allowing Palace to enjoy the fruits of those efforts, as they have done with Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.
Recent form – 33/50
In his second senior season, Esse has scored four goals and recorded one assist in 24 Championship matches. His impact extends beyond stats, though, as he has been one of Millwall’s best players.
Gap-filling – 38/50
Palace failed to adequately replace Olise last summer, only signing Ismaila Sarr, making Esse’s arrival a move towards filling that gap. Esse can also play on the left, making him a useful backup for Eze when required.
Esse hurdling Dimitris Giannoulis’ challenge in August (Paul Harding/Getty Images)
Excitement factor – 31/50
Palace fans have seen their team take this path of bringing in coveted Championship talents before with Eze, Olise and most recently, Adam Wharton. Esse is in that mould and the club’s supporters will be eager to see if he can have the same impact.
Future-proofing – 48/50
Signing a talented 19-year-old to a five-and-a-half-year contract looks shrewd. Given the modest fee Palace have paid for Esse, they will be optimistic about recovering it and perhaps even making a sizeable profit, as they did when selling Olise to Bayern Munich last summer.
Palace’s latest signing won the seventh of his eight England Under-20s caps against Germany in November (Jan Kruger/Getty Images for DFB)
Rival impact – 10/50
Esse was not courted by too many other clubs. Palace seem destined for another mid-table finish, so the teams around them may not be overly concerned either.
Marketability – 22/50
Esse has made a name for himself in the Championship and is from south London, which gives the club’s marketing department a solid starting point. He has played for England at under-18, under-19 and under-20 levels, and moving to Palace gives him a great opportunity to get into the under-21s squad this year.
Overall rating — 354/500
(Top photo: Getty Images)
