Jaydee Canvot said he 'took his chance' after Marc Guehi's departure to join Manchester City. The 19-year-old has impressed in recent weeks after stepping up to join Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards in the back three.
Crystal Palace defender Jaydee Canvot said he ‘took his chance’ after Marc Guehi left the club.
Guehi, who was club captain at Selhurst Park, made a £20 million move to Manchester City in January, leaving Palace with little coverage in defence.
USA defender Chris Richards and France’s Maxence Lacroix were still there and performing well but in Oliver Glasner’s system, he needed a third centre back.
Up stepped another Frenchman in Canvot.
Just 19-years-old, Canvot made the move to Palace from Ligue 1 side Toulouse on deadline day in the summer of 2025.
He had a big reputation as a player with immense talent but coming to the Premier League at such a young age is not for the faint-hearted.
Was Canvot ready to start at the top level?
Well, Palace clearly thought so when they brought him in, though they must have felt he would be somewhat eased in this season.
Glasner had his trusted trio in Guehi, Lacroix and Richards, they would be the main men for the season.
Canvot did not even make the bench for the first six Premier League matches after he joined the club, as he got used to a new country, new league and new tactics.
He made his debut off the bench in a 2-0 win over Brentford and then made his first start a week later, playing a full 90 minutes as Palace drew 0-0 with Brighton - talk about a baptism of fire.
That was his only start until January, where he again started in a 0-0 draw, this time with Aston Villa.
Guehi left the club on January 19 and Canvot slotted in against Chelsea on January 25.
He made a glaring error as his back pass went straight into the path of Estevao, who showed incredible dribbling ability and composure to make Canvot pay.
Canvot was also yellow-carded after a handball denied Joao Pedro from scoring and was substituted shortly after.
He did not start again until Palace faced Wolves a month later, but since then, he has started the following three matches, against Manchester United, Tottenham and Leeds.
Now a key member of the Crystal Palace team and France U21, despite still being 19, Canvot no longer feels overawed.
He said: "At the end of the day, Marc Guehi or not, I am not here to take anyone’s place.
“Marc is a 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.”
Glasner will be hoping Canvot can finish the season strongly as Palace eye Conference League glory, while the Frenchman could be a key man for whoever takes the job after the Austrian.