Following his standout senior debut against Hull City, the £1 million fee Chelsea paid Crystal Palace for Jesse Derry is already looking like one of the most astute pieces of business in the Todd Boehly era.
A lot of the noise has been about Estevao Willian in the Chelsea first team, but Jesse Derry has been carving a path of his own at Cobham.
The youngster only joined in the summer from Crystal Palace. He was named their under-18s player of the season for 2023-24 and deemed one of their biggest talents.
It wasn’t just at club level either. Derry’s form earned England call-ups to the under-17s, under-18s and under-19s. And last summer, he scored twice at the European Under-19 Championship.
Derry’s rise at Chelsea has even seen Jack Grealish and Rio Ferdinand take note, sending him messages on Instagram after his Hull City debut.
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Chelsea paid just £1 million to sign Jesse Derry from Crystal Palace
According to The Athletic, with Derry being a homegrown player under the age of 24, Palace were entitled to compensation.
And it is stated that the two clubs agreed a fee in excess of £1million, which removed any need for there to be a tribunal, which happened with Rio Ngumoha’s move to Liverpool.
He’s scored 11 and assisted four since making the move to Chelsea, which includes an impressive five goals in the UEFA Youth League.
Whilst he didn’t manage to register a contribution against Hull City, his full array of skills was on display, looking right at home in the first team.
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What people at Crystal Palace have said about Jesse Derry
In that same article from The Athletic, Crystal Palace sources have shared what they made of Derry during his time at Selhurst Park.
‘Crystal Palace have glowing things to say about his personality, but say his game really developed in his last two years there. It helped that Derry, who had been at the club’s academy from the age of five, can play with both feet.
‘Palace sources say they were impressed by his composure on the ball, ability to beat an opponent and quality from set pieces. His speed and stamina levels were deceptive — while not always looking like a remarkable asset to the naked eye, the stats the club compiled said otherwise.’
Derry is set to stay with the first team too for training after his hard work and performances.
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