Crystal Palace youngster Zavier Gozo signed in the summer from Real Salt Lake. He’s played the majority of his minutes with the under-21 side, but has featured for the United States at international level this season. 

Gozo joined Palace as one of the USA’s brightest footballing prospects, and was even included in Lionel Messi and Adidas’ next up campaign, where ten of the world’s brightest youngsters are put forward. 

There has been very little involvement for Gozo in the first team so far this season, but with chances limited, how is he feeling about the move and what are his ambitions for the remainder of the season?

Gozo sat down with Duel Nats and Vamos Network in a forty minute interview to speak on his time in South London so far. Here’s everything you might have missed. 

There were a number of sides tracking Gozo before his move to Palace last summer, but the South London side were able to convince him to sign, and their past history with developing young players and talents played a key role in Gozo deciding to sign for the club. 

“I think those things are always attractive, to know what the club has already done, that they give opportunities to young players. The fans are forgiving, they want to see you progress, try things and give your all, but not necessarily be perfect, and that was something I really liked when I was choosing where I wanted to go.”

Palace have acted as an inadvertent ‘stepping stone’ for many players, with the likes of Michael Olise, Ebere Eze and Marc Guéhi all going on to play for some of the biggest clubs in the world. 

Palace had tracked Gozo for some time before committing to signing him, and he revealed some more information about the transfer which Palace fans might not have known. 

“I think they [Palace] were always in the background, they came in more towards the summer, but they were always an underlying option until this summer when they really made a push.”

Gozo had actually visited the club’s training facilities back in 2023, on a trip with the Real Salt Lake academy. 

“We came over here and played, I’d seen the facilities, so it was kind of familiar to me. This was somewhere where I could feel like I had the platform to improve, feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from them.”

Not only was it Palace’s development of young players which drew him in, but also the success that the club has achieved in recent years too. 

“The calibre of wingers and forwards they’ve produced and the platform they’ve been able to give them to succeed, to go on to bigger clubs and become some of the best players in the world, it’s so exciting for a young player like me.”

“Obviously that was their pitch. They’d won the FA Cup, they’d won the Conference League and Community Shield, so all those things contributed to me feeling like this was the place I wanted to go.”

Gozo has played just over 50 minutes for Palace so far this season across three appearances from the bench. Chances have been limited, and it appears that Ismaïla Sarr, Darío Osorio and Dwight McNeil are all ahead of him currently in the pecking order. 

He had spoken previously about the difference in going from being a standout performer in the MLS to suddenly playing almost exclusively with the under-21s, but as a young player, he must be patient in order to get his chance. 

“I’m just trying to take it step by step and get better every single day, you know, adjust to the speed and strength and all the things that the Premier League gives. I want to start playing and start scoring goals, start getting assists and start impacting for the team…become a player that the fans love, but also become a player that can move on and play for one of the best teams in the world, that’s always been a dream and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Gozo spoke with a great sense of maturity and confidence, but is also extremely level-headed. His quote regarding moving on from Palace later in his career was taken some way out of context on social media.

Palace fans will remember when Jean-Philippe Mateta made similar comments before signing from Mainz in 2021. Palace establishing a reputation as a top club for platforming and developing young talent is far from a bad thing. 

Gozo is one of the most talented young players in the world, and whilst Palace are yet to see him show his quality on the pitch, it’s unsurprising that he’s aiming high in his career.