Crystal Palace youngster thanks departing Ebere Eze for his support ahead of forward’s move to Arsenal | OneFootball

Crystal Palace youngster Justin Devenny has praised the impact the departing Ebere Eze has had on him.

Eze is set to leave Palace after five years at the club, and is expected to join boyhood club Arsenal, where he played as a youngster.

Devenny, who joined Palace in 2023, could be set for a bigger role following the departure of Eze, and has thanked his soon to be former team-mate for his support since he joined the club.

He said: “The fans love him. We love him. He’s such a great player but for me personally as well, he’s an even better guy and friend.

“And it’s good to have him around the changing room. But as a squad, we’ve got more than enough quality in the dressing room. We all believe in each other.”

Devenny also has no doubts that Eze will continue to show that he is a top player after moving away from Palace.

“He already is a top, top player,” he said when asked whether he can make the grade at Arsenal.

Devenny started and helped his side to a 1-0 victory over Fredrikstad in the first leg of their Conference League qualifier on Thursday.

They travel to Norway next week looking to secure their place in the league stage of the competition, and Devenny says he and his team-mates are not thinking about the main competition itself yet.

“We’ve still got another game to go and then, I’ve said before, we just need to focus on game by game,” he said.

“And once we’re in the group, then we just need to focus on that. But then, obviously, in the back of our minds, we’ll believe that we are good enough to win, but we can’t look too far ahead right now.”