Crystal Palace Opens Up On £50m Star Midfielder’s Work Rate

Crystal Palace and England star, Eberechi Eze, planted his roots in the EFL with Queens Park Rangers and Wycombe Wanderers.

The attacking midfielder has garnered some serious attention over the last year, thanks to his exceptional performances for the Eagles. This saw him called up by Gareth Southgate to represent England in the 2024 Euros.

Whilst his and Palace’s start to the season has been below par, the 26-year-old is still on the radar of some of England’s finest football clubs. Valued at an estimated £50m, the London side will owe a great deal of gratitude to QPR and Wycombe, should they receive a large sum of money for his services.

Eze’s Wycombe loan caught QPR’s eye

The man from Greenwich spent the early years of his career bouncing around clubs in the local area. He played for the Arsenal, Fulham, Reading, and Millwall academies, but was unable to earn a pro deal. Despite multiple setbacks, Eze successfully trialled for QPR in 2016, earning himself a spot in the under-21s.

Just a year later, he caught the eye of former R’s favourite, Gareth Ainsworth, who was the manager of Wycombe. The exciting talent joined the Chairboys on a short-term loan deal until January 2018. The loan would be his first taste of senior, professional football.

It’s fair to say he took to it like a duck to water, quickly establishing himself as one of the first names on Ainsworth’s team sheet. During his time at Adams Park, Eze made 20 appearances and netted five goals. Many Wycombe fans will recall his two identical curling strikes against Cambridge United, which is often seen as the moment the future England star announced himself to the world.

Sadly for the Blues, Eze’s form on loan had captured the attention of his parent club, who were eager to get him back and among their squad. His short but sweet stint at Wycombe was the building block of his future success.

Loan success was built on after Loftus Road return

The R’s looked to have pulled off a stroke of genius by signing the ex-Millwall youngster, if his stint in South Buckinghamshire could be replicated in West London. Fortunately, he did just that.

After gaining some experience in League Two, Eze returned to QPR full of confidence. Ian Holloway was keen on making the upcoming prospect part of his first-team, and the Bristolian manager kept his word. Eze featured 16 times for the Superhoops in the second-half of the season.

After building over his first year-and-a-half as a regular starter for the R’s, the 2019-20 season would be the one that turned heads of Premier League clubs. The then 22-year-old netted 14 goals and laid off eight assists in the Championship. This saw him named in the PFA EFL Championship Team of the Year for the 2019-20 season.

This obviously attracted the attention of Premier League clubs. A young, attacking-minded, English player could be worth serious money if he continued his upwards trajectory, so it was an investment that clubs were keen to make.

His time at Loftus Road came to a close that summer, as Crystal Palace bought QPR’s prized asset for a reported £19.5m.

Palace must be grateful to QPR and Wycombe

The meteoric rise of Eze is an incredible success story, which many aspiring young footballers will look at and think ‘that could be me.’ The Greenwich-born man serves as a reminder to never give up on your dreams, no matter how many setbacks you face.

Just five years after being released by Millwall at the end of his scholarship, Eze was about to get his chance at the highest level of English football. This is all thanks to QPR giving him a trial when he was a teenager, where he ultimately earned himself a contract.

The loan to Wycombe gave Eze a chance to acclimatise to senior football in a positive environment. With some true professionals, such as Adebayo Akinfenwa, at the club, Adams Park was the perfect destination for the loanee to showcase his talent to his parent club, and he did just that.

The faith that former Palace manager, Holloway, had in his young starlet would’ve played a big part in maintaining the confidence Eze found at Wycombe. This ultimately helped lead to his excellent growth, before the football world stood up and took notice in 2019-20.

Palace should be massively grateful to both QPR and Wycombe, as they nurtured Eze’s talents perfectly, setting him up with the tools to become the exceptional player he is today. Whether he continues to tear it up at Selhurst Park, or seeks a new challenge with one of the big boys, the Eagles can be thankful to his former clubs for the player they helped create.