Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has likened the depth of local talent in South London to what he’s seen in Paris.
With a Category 1 Academy, Palace are able to develop players from their half of the capital and further afield, including Irishman Jake O’Brien, who has recently earned a loan move to Swindon Town.
“We talk a lot about Paris having some fantastic young players but I believe south London is at the same level,” Vieira told Palace’s website. “When you look at the number of talents who play in the Premier League this is unbelievable. This is exciting for us as a football club because I believe those young players one way or the other should play for Palace.
“I think it’s always good to have those young players around the first-team because when you have really good role models like we have in our football club that gives them an idea about how to conduct themselves as a professional player.
“We know they have talent but talent is not enough; it’s how you lead your professional life every day to allow yourself to succeed. We have young players we give support and time to try to improve [them]. There are three of four of them who’ve been really impressive.
“It’s a really good move for [O’Brien] because he’s ready to play men’s football. He’s in a really good football club and hopefully he will be on the field tonight [against Manchester City] so we can watch him play.
“The loan system is really tricky and really difficult because you need to find a team that allows him to play and to understand which part of the game the players need to improve, and for the players to be at the right place where the manager and coaches can keep working with the player to help him develop… All these details are taken into consideration before sending a player on loan.”
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