English-born Ghanaian attacker Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, played his first Premier League game this season for Crystal Palace in their slim loss against Thomas Partey‘s Arsenal FC on Monday night.
A second-half penalty from Martin Ødegaard was enough to see Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace in the opening Premier League home game of 2023/24.
Jesuran Rak-Sakyi was a late substitute as he replaced Joel Ward in the 83rd minute mark of the game.
The 20-year old is being chased by a host of EFL Championship clubs including Hull City and Leicester City. Sunderland FC are also interested in signing the promising forward.
The 20-year-old came through the ranks at Chelsea before joining the Eagles in 2019, as he looked to have a clearer path to the first-team.
That hasn’t really happened yet, but it’s understandable, with Rak-Sakyi instead going out on loan to help his development given his age.
Rak-Sakyi spent the previous campaign with Charlton, and it’s a move that worked out very well for the player, as he contributed 15 goals and eight assists for the Addicks as they finished tenth in the table.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has said he ‘hopes’ Rak-Sakyi will stay with the Eagles this season, despite loan interest from a number of Championship clubs.
“We like Jes – we’re happy to have him back. We like what we see in training. As a coach, I am in no hurry to ask him to leave to go on loan,” he said via London News online.
“One hopes that will be the case, but these matters with young players can be complicated because they have their own feelings about getting match minutes. They also have agents who are suggesting to them that the next move in their career needs to be another loan.
“It’s a constant matter for discussion. We, the coaching staff, are happy to have him and happy to be working with him. Who knows? Let’s hope he stays with us rather than go on loan.”
