- Crystal Palace sold Marc Guehi in January
- Jaydee Canvot isn’t here to take his place
- The French youngster has been superb
Jaydee Canvot has insisted he hasn’t joined Crystal Palace to become the direct replacement for club ‘legend’ Marc Guehi. The young Frenchman has made an impressive start to life at Selhurst Park.
The 19-year-old arrived at Palace from French side Toulouse last summer in a £23m deal. He’s earned a regular run in Oliver Glasner’s starting lineup, appearing 26 times across competitions.
Canvot has quickly become a fan favourite with each passing performance, putting in superb displays alongside Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards. When he signed for the Eagles, he was viewed as Guehi’s heir, given the English centre-back was headed for the exit door.
Canvot: Not Here To Take Anyone’s Place
Guehi stayed at the club during the first half of the season after a deadline day move to Liverpool in September collapsed. But the 25-year-old eventually left for Manchester City in a £20m deal in January.
Canvot’s game time increased following Palace’s former captain’s departure and he’s playing an important role in the Europa Conference League campaign. He has enjoyed somewhat of a turnaround after making a mistake in a 3-1 loss to Chelsea in January.
The French teenager spoke to Capital Football about his move to South London and the idea that he’s the long-term successor to Guehi:
“At the end of the day, Marc Guehi or not, I am not here to take anyone’s place. Marc is Crystal Palace legend and his exit left a big void but at the same time it opened doors for me. It freed up space and I took my chance. “
Canvot alluded to his errors against Chelsea:
“I managed to bounce back after making a couple of rare mistakes against Chelsea. This is a reflection of my mental strength.”
The French defender is in action during the international break as he’s representing France’s U21’s. He played the full 90 minutes at right-back in a 5-1 thrashing of Luxembourg.
Canvot Fired Up For Fiorentina
Canvot will turn his attention back to club football next month and the goal of winning the Conference League. His side face Fiorentina in the quarter-finals, with the first leg on April 9th.
The Argenteuil-born centre-back is looking forward to playing against the Italians but also wants to finish the Premier League campaign strongly:
“We want to win as many games as possible and strive to win the Conference League. If it’s an anticipated final against Fiorentina? Yeah, it will be a great game against a top team. We all know Fiorentina and I can’t wait to play them.”
He added:
“But the focus is on everything. We want to finish well in the Premier League and go for the Conference League trophy if we can. We’re in the quarter-finals, we’re competitors… we want to win it all.”
Canvot has shown maturity beyond his years during his debut season at Selhurst Park. He looks the real deal and a player of whom the club can build around in a new era once Glasner departs.
