David Ozoh

Derby County’s squad rebuild ahead of the 2024/25 season continued with the signing of Crystal Palace midfielder David Ozoh in July 2024.

Ozoh joined the Rams on a season-long loan from the Premier League outfit as he looked to gain valuable match experience.

The central midfielder is an England youth international and featured 12 times for the Eagles in the 2023/24 season, with nine of those appearances coming in the Premier League.

Ozoh was born in the Spanish city of Valencia to Nigerian parents, but he moved to England at a young age.

He joined Crystal Palace’s Academy set-up at the age of eight and progressed through their youth sides, eventually reaching the Under-18s and later the Under-21s after signing professional terms in August 2022.

His first outings for the Under-18s came in the 2020/21 season before he kicked on to play regularly in the 2021/22 campaign and eventually made three appearances for the Under-21s in Premier League 2.

After impressing for the Under-21s, which saw him named as their Player of the Season for the 2022/23 season as he established himself in the side, Ozoh made his senior debut as a substitute in Palace’s 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle United in January 2023 at the age of 17.

In making his debut, he became the club's youngest-ever Premier League player at the age of 17 years, eight months and 15 days.

He had previously been in the Eagles’ senior squad for the first time against Newcastle a few months earlier in the Carabao Cup, although he wasn’t introduced into the action, and spent pre-season with the group which travelled to Singapore and Australia.

He also gained experience by making three appearances in the EFL Trophy for the Eagles’ Under-21s against Swindon Town, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle during an impressive campaign.

After playing three more times in the EFL Trophy for Palace’s Under-21s, this time against Wycombe Wanderers, AFC Wimbledon and Stevenage, he went on to make a further 11 appearances off the bench in the 2023/24 season, getting appearances to his name in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Ozoh notably played his part in Palace coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at eventual Premier League winners Manchester City in December 2023, as well as drawing 1-1 with rivals Brighton & Hove Albion soon afterwards. He racked up 148 minutes of top-flight action, followed by 34 minutes in cup competitions.

On the international stage, Ozoh has represented England at Under-18 level on five occasions. His first call-up came in March 2023 and made his debut in a 2-1 win over Croatia.