Starlet out on loan is followed by a Crystal Palace youngster who won Patrick Vieira over with his “maturity.”
After spending the first part of the season on loan at Port Vale, where he made 16 appearances, the 23-year-old has now transferred to League Two.
Balmer, who made 24 appearances for Palace’s under-21 squad, left Northern Irish club Larne FC in the summer of 2022 to join Crystal Palace.
Despite this, Balmer has not yet made an appearance for the senior team.
Kofi Balmer signs a loan with AFC Wimbledon
John Kymani-Gordon, 20, also finished a loan deal with AFC Wimbledon earlier this month, so Balmer is not the first player to join them.
Now that the second transaction has been confirmed by AFC Wimbledon, the player has voiced his delight about the move.
“I’m excited to get going, get to know the guys, and hopefully have a good run-in,” he said.
This club has a very narrow focus. Everyone is going to support you because everyone is in this together.
In addition to the players and staff, you would also have the support of the fans if the team was struggling.
I felt welcome when I visited the other day to talk with the manager.
Balmer has not yet made an appearance for Palace, but a year ago, former manager Patrick Vieira did commend him.
“He plays like he’s 28 or 29 years old; he has this kind of maturity and leadership.”
He is clearly spending a lot of time with the club because of his composure as a CB, his comfort level with the ball, and our preferred style of play, according to Vieira.
Whether the defender will ever play for Crystal Palace in the starting lineup is still up in the air.
Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi are currently the club’s first-choice center backs, so there is a lot of competition there.
Given his age, the club might not view him as a true hot prospect.
However, should he demonstrate potential during his loan at Wimbledon, it could benefit him and Palace to draw a permanent transfer in the summer.
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