Remi Ahazie-Shittu

A confident, ball-playing centre-back who embraces pressure, Remi Ahazie-Shittu is the kind of defender who thrives in uncomfortable situations – trusting his technique, awareness, and composure to play out from the back.

Born in North London and raised in Lewisham, Remi originally played basketball before fully committing to football after moving to South London.

He played for three grassroots teams in and around Bromley, where his talent was spotted by Crystal Palace scouts. He joined the Academy at Under-9 level.

Initially signed as a winger, Ahazie-Shittu gradually transitioned to central midfield before settling into a central defensive role from Under-14s onwards. His journey through various positions has helped shape him into a well-rounded and tactically intelligent defender.

A defining moment in his Palace journey came on a pre-season tour to Portugal, where he faced European giants Benfica and PSG. Notably, he scored against Benfica and gained valuable experience playing against top-level youth sides from across the continent.

His standout attributes include his excellent passing range and dominance in one-v-one defensive situations. He models his game on elite defenders like William Saliba and Virgil van Dijk – aiming to bring calmness, authority, and technical quality to the heart of defence.

After signing his scholarship ahead of the 2025/26 season, Ahazie-Shittu spent much of the first half of the campaign recovering from injury. He returned during the latter stages of the season and made six appearances for Javier Alonso's Under-18s, steadily building valuable experience at scholarship level.

One of his standout contributions came against Norwich City, where he produced a superb assist, delicately lifting the ball over the defence for Donte Martin to race through and open the scoring.

His return to action provided an encouraging platform to build from, with the defender looking to carry that momentum into the 2026/27 campaign.