Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of highly-rated midfielder Jason Lokilo from Anderlecht.
The 17-year-old winger has been training with the Palace youth squads since the summer, and his move became official once the player’s international clearance was received by the club.
Lokilo actually signed a pre-contract with the club in late July but has had to wait until now to get the clearance to make the move official.
The player previously had a trial with Arsenal, who were keen to sign him, but Palace managed to lure him to Selhurst Park.
Speaking to the official Crystal Palace website, Lokilo explained the type of player he is:
I’m a right winger, but I can play anywhere,” he said. “I like to pass the ball and get assists. I’m left-footed, so I like to cut inside to create chances to score.
The young Belgian also admitted that he’s never taken English lessons before, and he developed his use of the language by watching videos of his favourite player:
I used to watch interviews with Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m a big fan.
When asked about his aims for the upcoming year, Lokilo replied:
I hope to work on my English, to play with the under-21s and maybe sometimes the under-18s, let’s see!
