‘You feel a bit like merchandise’ – Jaydee Canvot on his big-money move to Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Jaydee Canvot (19), during on international duty with the France U21 squad, has spoken about his summer move from formative club Toulouse FC to Crystal Palace in an interview with L’Équipe.

The 19-year-old penned a four-year deal with the Eagles. It had been reported that Toulouse and the Premier League side agreed to a €27m (including bonuses) for the highly-promising France youth international centre-back.

The fee makes him the most expensive sale in Toulouse’s history, however, the centre-back has insisted that he didn’t feel as though he was being forced out of his formative club amid what is a difficult time for French clubs financially.

“I really didn’t feel that was the case. If they took the money this year or next, I don’t think it changed too much. They got a good fee; that’s good for everyone,” said the Crystal Palace defender.

He added, “In these moments, you feel a bit like merchandise. I even thought that I was staying. The negotiations were difficult, it’s true. It was long because there were several clubs interested.”

One of those clubs was Aston Villa. “I had to choose the right club for me. Crystal Palace are growing year on year,” Canvot told L’Équipe.

Crystal Palace are currently sixth in the Premier League. The former Toulouse defender added that the fact that the club are competing in the UEFA Europa Conference League, the presence of other French players (Jean-Philippe Mateta, Maxence Lacroix, and Naouirou Ahamada), and the quality of Oliver Glasner as a coach all factored into his decision amid Aston Villa’s interest.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m the record sale (of Toulouse) or not. I just wanted to go to a team where I felt good. I didn’t want to leave for the sake of leaving; otherwise I would have stayed at Toulouse,” said Canvot, who so far has made just one appearance for his new club, in the EFL Cup.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle