13th Dec 2023 • Written by Henry Swain

Jesse Derry: Crystal Palace's 1%

There are few duos as iconic as Crystal Palace FC and skilful wingers. Selhurst Park has been a playground for entertainers such as Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Michael Olise - and there might be a kid who was born to follow in their footsteps playing in Rob Quinn’s Under-18 side.

Jesse is the son of former Palace player and assistant coach Shaun Derry. At 16 years old, he is currently playing up an age bracket for the U18s. Able to play on both wings, his link-up play with Zach Marsh has been making headlines in the world of academy football - and his performances have earned him a call-up to England's U17s.

In a world where only a fraction of elite academy players go on to have a prolonged career at the highest level, can Jesse Derry be a part of Crystal Palace’s 1%?

Derry's career so far

After joining the academy at five years old, Derry has fast-tracked his way into the spotlight of under-18 football. His young career has already seen him lift a trophy - the Floodlit Cup South with Palace’s under-15s.

He earned his first appearance at U18 level in the final game of the 2022/23 season against West Brom. Ahead of this campaign, Derry was rewarded with a scholarship as he stepped up to Rob Quinn’s squad.

Derry's season has been incredibly successful so far, scoring eight goals and landing five assists for Palace. He continued this hot form for the England U17s in November, bagging a brace on debut and achieving a total of four goals in three games for his national team. He also won Crystal Palace’s goal of the month award in August for his solo strike against Reading.

Analysing Derry's performances

Palace fans have been crying out for a Zaha replacement since he left for Galatasaray in the summer, and whilst we don't want to pile too much pressure on such a young player, Derry is showing early signs of being just that.

Derry is a confident, forward-thinking winger who plays with a level of maturity that puts him shoulders above his teammates. His footwork is exceptional, and it is no exaggeration to say he puts defenders on their backsides for fun - a feat made even more impressive considering the age and physicality of opposition full-backs. He has perfected the body-feint ball-roll combination, and isn't afraid to try out new tricks when the time is right. The excitement his style of play incites is remniscent of how it felt to watch Wilfried Zaha in his prime - he has the ability to make a crowd watch in awe as he drives away from his man and towards goal.

Through watching his highlights it is clear to see that Derry is no fluke when it comes to finishing - of his eight goals this season, seven have found the bottom corner. He has almost perfected the reverse shot, where he drills his effort at the near post, not dissimilar to Zaha's goals against Manchester United in both 2020/21 and 2021/22. The way he manipulates his body to strike is also Zaha-esque, in how he rolls the ball with the sole of his foot before slamming home. The quick shift and shot is a move that has seen much success in the Premier League, but can become slightly predictable if utilised too much.

This is another area where Derry stands out - unpredictability. Whilst he does favour his right foot, he has confidence in his ability to use his weaker left foot and has scored two goals for Palace with it already.

Derry has also shown that his first-touch ability is elite this season. Similar to the likes of Zaha or Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, he takes progressive touches into spaces putting him in good attacking positions, making it even trickier to defend against him.

However, Derry's footballing brain is possibly his strongest asset. Mentality and game intelligence are key to a young player's potential success, and in Derry's case, it is abundantly clear is wise beyond his years both on and off the ball. His positioning and decision-making are amongst the best in the squad, and his early maturity has no doubt been fostered by his father, Shaun Derry.

Derry uses his teammates to play one-twos and get himself into even more favourable positions. He is a player who seems to value an assist almost as highly as a goal and has provided 4 times for teammates. His set-piece delivery is also elite, with a technique similar to Olise, whipping fast-paced, inviting crosses into the box from either side. 

Can he make it at Palace?

Derry already has experience training with the first team, and is the youngest player to have made that step up this season - an extremely impressive feat considering Roy Hodgson's cautious approach to youth development. There is no doubt that he has the ability and mindset to play professional football - the one potential caveat would be his physical development. At the moment, Derry is both quick and deceptively strong, but these attributes are volatile at his age. He is very similar in stature to Zaha when he broke into the Palace first-team at 18, and will need to evolve as physically as Zaha did in order to achieve the same success. However, there is no rush to push him into the U21s, as he is already playing above his age.

For a player of his calibre, the biggest threat to a potential career at Selhurst Park would be injuries. If Derry can remain injury-free and continue to perform the way he has this term over the next season or two, he could well find himself involved in the first team.

Derry is one of the few players in the academy who may not even need a loan move to progress into the first team. It will be at least a couple of years until he is making a push for any sort of debut for Palace, but he is certainly on the right path.

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