Crystal Palace defender JD Canavut has insisted he does not think about his €23m price tag, or the expectations it brings.
19 year old talking to ft mercato About life with Crystal Palace Joining them in September.
He is slowly establishing himself in Oliver Glasner's team and has started their last three Premier League matches. The defender is seen at the club as a long-term replacement for Marc Guhi, who ultimately left in January and joined Manchester City.
This opened the door for Canavot to gain playing time and eventually begin his career with Crystal Palace. Considering his transfer fee, expectations are high. But the youth are refusing to focus on that.
"No, honestly, I don't care. I haven't thought about it," He said.
"I do my job on the pitch; the financial and administrative side is not my responsibility. Yes, this transfer represents a lot of money, but it's just football today, everything moves fast. But I don't think about it when I sleep."
What surprises Canavot about the Premier League?
Canavot had to wait for his chance after Guhi's unsuccessful move to Liverpool in the summer transfer window.
This led to him suffering a slow start to the season and spending the first six Premier League matches on the bench. He has been on and off the bench since then, with 13 of his 25 call-ups to the Crystal Palace squad this season.
However, the young player did not take it as an insult. Instead, they used the time to observe and learn about their new surroundings.
"I studied players who played in my position as centre-back," he explained
"I also watched the opposition players, I analyzed their movements, and I also saw how focused you had to be from the first minute to the last minute. Then there's the intensity of a Premier League match. I think that's what impressed me the most."
Why is Crystal Palace taking Europe seriously?
The focus now is on continuing his solid start to life in the first team. With Guhi's departure the door has opened and Canvot has passed through it.
He has started and finished Crystal Palace's last three matches, including an impressive performance in a 3–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
He also played 90 minutes in a 2–0 win over Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League last month. The focus now turns to this week's clash with AEK Larnaca. And Canvote says they're in the running to win it.
"Definitely, I think we have everything we need to win it," He concluded.
"Everyone in the group feels like we have what it takes. We're playing in the conference to win it, and we've made it our competition. We're going out there to win a title.
"I wasn't here last season, but they had the best year in the club's history, won two trophies, so I would like to win my first one too. And why not this season?"
Trust, Adaptation and Growing Conviction
There is no point in relaxing or waiting for the future for Canvote. Crystal Palace's recent success has raised expectations inside the dressing room as well as outside it and he has accepted that responsibility.
With growing confidence and the trophy firmly in mind, he is clear about the mentality that is driving him: This is a team that expects to compete, and he intends to move forward with it.
