Crystal Palace's rising young talent, Malcolm Ebiowei will be gearing up for the new 2023/2024 campaign as he looks to make this year his breakout season. The young forward is eligible to play for the England national team, the Netherlands National team or the Super Eagles senior side.
Biography
Malcom Perewari Ebiowei was born on September 4th, 2003 in Lambeth England and began his youth career in 2009 with English Premier League giants, Chelsea FC.
In 2015, Ebiowei moved to Chelsea's crosstown rivals, Arsenal, where he continued his development for four more years. In 2020, he moved to Scotland where he joined Glasgow rangers for a season.
The following season, he joined Derby County and it was with the Rams that he finally started to show his potential.
In what was a tough season for Derby, Ebiowei was a bright spot and quickly became one of the team's best players after making his first team debut.
2019 – Released by Arsenal
2019 – Rejected by West Ham
2021 – Let go by Rangers
18-year-old Malcolm Ebiowei got man of the match for Derby last weekend.
Just look at him trying to hide his smile after getting his award ❤️❤️#DCFC
pic.twitter.com/yEv3E0LwxE— The Second Tier (@secondtierpod) March 25, 2022
Ebiowei left the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 as he only signed a one year deal to join the Rams. That summer there were a lot of clubs interested in signing the player with clubs like Manchester United, Crystal Palace, AS Monaco and Vitesse.
He made the decision to play for Crystal Palace and signed a contract that would be valid until 2027. He spent the first half of last season with Palace but could not break into the first team. After making only five appearances (with no starts), Ebiowei was loaned to Hull City in the January transfer window in order to get consistent game time in the Championship.
It looked like a move to the Championship would do the youngster a world of good but his loan spell did not go according to plan. The youngster was in and out of the side for the most part and failed to make an impression during his loan spell. In the end, he made only 12 appearances for the club and started only five games.
Strengths
Malcom Ebiowei is a left footed wide forward that plays predominantly on the right wing. From that position, he looks to cut inside to his favorite left foot and generate shots or create chances for others.
His biggest strength is his pace. He is able to use his pace in transition as well as in one on one situations. He is able to knock the ball past his opponent and get to it before his marker and he uses that pace to rip through defences.
His pace also makes him a threat in behind as his numbers on FBref suggests. The teenager received 9.10 progressive passes per game over the last 365 days and this number puts him in the 79th percentile among players in his position.
Another strength of his is his dribbling ability. He is able to get past defenders either from a stop position in one on one situations or when he is in full flight. He is a fearless and relentless dribbler whose traits are a nightmare for any fullback.
According to FBref, Ebiowei has completed 4.64 take-ons a game and this number puts him in the 99th percentile among players in his position. He is one of the best dribblers around.
Weaknesses
His biggest weakness, which is one that plagues most young players, is his lack of end product. He is still a raw talent trying to develop his skill set and the numbers also show that he has a long way to go.
He has played 33 matches in senior football and has only scored one goal and created two assists for his teammates.
At 19, he still has some room to grow but it is obvious that the player is talented.
Should the Super Eagles call him up?
For the moment, Ebiowei has not done enough to earn a spot in the already stacked Super Eagles squad, but he has the potential to be a key player for the country in future.
He has already represented the Netherlands and England on the international stage at youth level and came close to representing Nigeria in 2019. He was called up for a training camp in Abuja ahead of the U-17 World Cup where he impressed, but he did not make the World Cup team as he was advised against it.
He has shown interest in representing the country before and may one day become a Super Eagles player in the future.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 months ago
