Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace appear to have made their second January signing with Welling United’s Jay Rich-Baghuelou heading to the Premier League.
Jay Rich-Baghuelou has left Welling United for Crystal Palace, the non-league outfit have announced on their official website.
While a little-known Australian will not arrive at Selhurst Park with the same fanfare that greeted £27 million Turkey international Cenk Tosun, Palace fans should be pleased to see the club make a concerted effort to add more youth to Roy Hodgson’s ranks.
The Eagles have the Premier League’s second oldest squad but it seems that changes are afoot.
Sam Woods and 18-year-old Brandon Pierrick have made their Crystal Palace debuts of late and, on Wednesday, the Londoners officially announced the signing of Dundee United’s Scottish starlet Scott Banks.
And while Palace are yet to confirm the deal at their end, Welling claim that a move to take Rich-Baghuelou to Selhurst Park has been completed.
“All at the club would like to thank Jay for his efforts during his time at PVR and wish him all the best for his future career,” wrote the National League South side.
A commanding centre-back with French and Australian heritage, Rich-Baghuelou spent time on trial at Reading in 2018 after Charlton Athletic failed to lure him to the Valley, as reported by London News Online.
And, speaking to Welling’s official website, the youngster offered an intriguing insight into his style of play. He appears to be the kind of all-action defender who Hodgson will grow to love.
“I’m the type of player that likes to compete and dominate,” he said. “I like to play on the front foot; I relish an aerial battle, a tackle and 1v1 duels, but most importantly, I can play a bit too!
“The technical side of things is something I’ve really focussed on over the last couple of years and with the hard work I’m putting in I believe I’m improving week by week, game by game.”
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