Crystal Palace have completed the signing of winger Malcolm Ebiowei from League One side Derby County on a free transfer.

What's the story?

As per BBC Sport, the 18-year-old's contract was due to expire at the end of this month, so Palace were able to capture him without paying a transfer fee.

He has signed a five-year deal at Selhurst Park and is highly rated after rising through the ranks of Arsenal's youth academy before joining Scottish giants Rangers, and then eventually moving to the midlands.

The opportunity to play Premier League football was too good to turn down for Ebiowei amid uncertainty at Derby.

Imagine him & Zaha

Whilst it may take him time to settle in and adapt to the levels of the top flight, it's an exciting signing, and he could really go on to form an exciting duo with star man Wilfried Zaha.

He's been described as a "fabulous talent" by journalist Josh Bunting.

Palace are no strangers when it comes to signing coveted talents from the EFL - both Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze joined from clubs in the Championship and have become key parts of Patrick Vieira's set-up.

There's no reason why Ebiowei can't do the same, and if he's just as successful as them, then it will be a huge coup for the Eagles.

He made his first-team debut for the Rams this year thanks to former manager Wayne Rooney's willingness to give young players a chance despite the team's struggles.

In 16 appearances, the player who Rooney dubbed "incredible" scored a goal and registered two assists as Derby were unable to avoid the drop.

If you compare him directly to Zaha then you can see how similar an impact both players had in their teams last season. Both players created 4 big chances for their teammates.

The Englishman also had a 51% successful dribble percentage compared to Zaha's 49%, which shows further similarity.

Ultimately, Ebiowei can have a big impact at Selhurst Park over the years to come, ever since Vieira arrived it's clear he's been building for the long term and not just the present.

He can learn so much from Zaha and, hopefully, one day become just as vital to the team as he is.

AND in other news: Palace plot £26m move for machine who's "destroying everyone", he's better than Hughes...