Exclusive J.Canvot (Crystal Palace): "I've made mistakes and will keep making some, I am young. But I am not Guehi's heir"

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone in Luxembourg

The challenges have come thick and fast for Jaydee Canvot since he swapped Ligue 1 side Toulouse for reigning FA Cup winners Crystal Palace last summer. 

Acclimatising to the Premier League is never easy regardless of how high your stock is.

And after cutting his teeth and taking a leaf out of ex-skipper Marc Guehi’s book in the first few months of the campaign, Canvot is now an Eagles regular. 

But he’s had to navigate his way out of the shark-infested waters of the unforgiving British gutter press first after a difficult start to life since Guehi joined Man City in January. 

A tough baptism of fire on only his third start against Chelsea didn't help his case and only increased the nostalgia in south London.

In that forgettable game he gifted Estevao the opener and then conceded a penalty after the ball (involuntarily?) struck his arm.  

When all is said and done, dealing with the “Guehi successor” label certainly didn't make life any easier for the youngster. 

To take him out of the firing line, Oliver Glasner dropped him for the fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Brighton.

Yet, Canvot has learned from those mistakes and has not looked back since. He now plays with freedom rather than with a point to prove after going through the gritty and nitty mental work with Palace’s coaching staff in Beckenham. 

In a candid interview with Capital Football following France under 21’s 5-1 mauling of Luxembourg in a Euro qualifier on Thursday afternoon, the fresh-faced 19-year-old gem was in no mood to be drawn into comparisons with his illustrious predecessor. 

He said: “At the end of the day, Marc Guehi or not, I am not here to take anyone’s place.

"Marc is Crystal Palace legend and his exit left a big void but at the same time it opened doors for me.  

“It freed up space and I took my chance.  

“I managed to bounce back after making a couple of rare mistakes against Chelsea.  

“This is a reflection of my mental strength.” 

Canvot looked like a vessel lost at sea in Palace’s home defeat to Chelsea. 

Yet he did not let the outside noise affect him and decided to channel the disappointment into positive energy. His ‘comeback’ was rigorously planned and carefully executed on the training pitches. 

And as a result of the hard work he barely put a foot wrong in the subsequent four games he started with the club picking up seven points from a possible 12 along the way to all but secure their place in next season’s Premier League. 

He said: “Mistakes are part and parcel of football.  

“I’ve made mistakes and will keep doing them because I am young.  

“What matters is your reaction to them and how you bounce back from difficult times. 

“You either drown further and further... or you swim your way out of it and move on.

“With Glasner and all his staff we've been working every day on my concentration and the right mindset.  

“In other words, the psychological part of my game.  

“That’s the most important thing for a player if you want to have a long top-level career."

Fluent adaptation skills were on show yesterday. Canvot was deployed as a right-back in a four-man defence by Gerard Baticle in the first-half before switching into midfield for the second period in a move that evoked memories of Philipp Lahm's transformation at Bayern Munich a decade ago.

And it was a seemless transition with the defender even testing the waters with two decent long-rangers.

Versatile Canvot has many strings to his bow and ticks many boxes for his young age. One of them is his maturity and the knowledge that he isn't the finished article yet despite being a Premier League starter.

He added: “I am awash with qualities but my weakness has always been my spirit... and we’re working on that.” 

Asked whether Crystal Palace are now well clear of the relegation after boasting a 10-point lead over third-from-bottom West Ham, he said: “I don’t know if it’s done, I am not too concerned about it.  

“We want to win as many games as possible and strive to win the Conference League. 

"If it's an anticipated final against Fiorentina? Yeah, it will be a great game against a top team.

"We all know Fiorentina and I can’t wait to play them.

"But the focus is on everything.

"We want to finish well in the Premier League and go for the Conference League trophy if we can.  

“We’re in the quarter-finals, we’re competitors... we want to win it all.”