Jadan Raymond is making his first appearance in a Premier League squad for Crystal Palace this weekend – but how did the talented 19-year-old make it to this point?
An attacking midfielder, Raymond has been at Crystal Palace since Under-9s level, continuing his journey through the ranks by signing professional terms in October 2020. Playing anywhere behind the striker, he is an attacking player who likes to create chances for teammates.
Having grown up seeing Selhurst Park from his bedroom window, he waspresented with his local side’s top scorer award as a child by Wilfried Zaha. His family connections to the club extend further, with his father also among Palace’s ranks as a youngster.
After trialling at Chelsea and Arsenal as a youngster, Raymond was scouted by Palace and joined the club as an eight-year-old.
He has been recognised by both England and Wales at Under-17 level and was unfortunate to miss much of the Under-18s title-challenge in 2020/21 through injury.
Raymond signed a contract extension in November 2021 and went on to make 21 apperances in all competitions for Rob Quinn’s Under-18s, scoring six goals. He featured as part of the squad which travelled to Australia and Singapore in 2022/23 pre-season.
The midfielder earned a call-up to the Wales Under-21 side for the first time in September 2022. He finished the 22/23 campaign with 24 appearances and three assists in all competitions.
His only goal of the 22/23 came in the Premier League International Cup semi-final against Valencia at Selhurst Park, helping the Eagles on their way to the final.