Issott has seen 40 players progress through the ranks into the first-team during his time at the club, most recently Kaden Rodney, and he has identified three key points for a player to make the transition from Academy to first-team regular.
“There are three phases to becoming professional: the debut, establishing yourself and then cementing yourself in the first-team setup,” he explains.
“The boys that went on tour [to Singapore and Australia] have made it to the first phase, where they’ve made their connection, an impression or a friendly debut. Now they’ve got to get through the next stages.
“It was a brilliant experience for them to be around and train with the senior players – to understand the demand and the habits of a first-team professional. Making it to that stage is an incredible challenge and I know how well these players have done when they get there.
“When players come through the ranks to make their debut you’re naturally proud and happy for them. But you also know in football that one game, two games or three games isn’t enough.
“The marker is 20 games, and once you get past that number you can consider yourself established in the first-team setup, and say that you’ve contributed. That’s really what I judge success on: how many players go past the 20-game mark.
“It’s an incredible challenge and I think when these players get there they’ve done so well – Tyrick Mitchell, Aaron Wan-Bisakka, Wilfried Zaha, for example, they’ve done brilliantly.
“Also, the boys now aren’t just competing against players from the south-west or north-west of England, you’re competing with players from southern Italy, North America, Africa, all around the world.
“The players we have in our Academy from the ages of 8-16 are competing on a global level – that’s not going backwards, that’s here to stay. You’ve got to be one of the best in the world. Hopefully, we can achieve one or two more debuts [this season] and hope that an Academy player may establish himself in the first-team squad this season.”
With the World Cup putting a pause on Premier League proceedings, you can watch all of Palace’s young Academy stars showcase their talents in six live matches on Palace TV+ in the coming weeks. Click here for more information.
