Academy Graduate Jeffrey Schlupp Departs

- The 24-year-old has been with Leicester City since the age of 11 

- Schlupp lifted both the Premier League and Championship title as a Leicester City player 

- He scored a hat-trick on his debut as an 18-year-old in 2011

Leicester City Football Club can confirm that Academy graduate Jeffrey Schlupp has joined Premier League side Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee. 

The 24-year-old Ghana international has played a key role since bursting onto the scene as an 18-year-old with a hat-trick on his debut and leaves King Power Stadium with the best wishes of everybody at the Club. 

A popular and talented member of Leicester City’s squad, Jeffrey made 149 first team appearances for the Foxes since that first outing in 2011, scoring 15 goals in the process. 

In Leicester City blue, the versatile speedster played in defence, midfield and attack in a team that tasted two glorious title victories in the Championship and Premier League, a miraculous escape from relegation and an agonising play-off defeat in the space of just four years. 

The 2016/17 season has also seen him continue his Leicester City journey by representing the Club in the UEFA Champions League, playing in three of the Club’s six group games. However competition for places has seen him make just one start in the league for City this term and Schlupp will now look to make an impact with the Eagles. 

Schlupp’s long association with Leicester City began as an 11-year-old and he went on to excel at every level of the Club’s Academy structure, culminating in a double triumph at the 2014/15 End of Season Awards. His performances during his debut season were both impressive and selfless as he scooped by the Players’ Player and Young Player of the Year titles following City’s remarkable escape from the drop. 

He followed that by making 24 appearances for Claudio Ranieri’s ‘Fearless Foxes’ in 2015/16 when they stormed to the Premier League title – his goal against Norwich City at Carrow Road in October 2015 helping City banish memories of defeat to Arsenal with a 2-1 win. 

That campaign ended with Schlupp lifting the Premier League trophy at King Power Stadium – just five seasons on from his first taste of professional football with Brentford in 2010/11. Six goals in just nine games for the Bees quickly underlined his potential as a striker. 

As an 18-year-old Schlupp’s first opportunity to shine for Leicester came in a League Cup tie at Rotherham United in August 2011, and it was one he took with both hands as he rattled in a stunning hat-trick. It was a feat he helped fellow Academy Graduate Joe Dodoo repeat in the same competition against Bury in 2015 as he unselfishly played his team-mate in for the third goal in stoppage time. 

He continued to progress with Leicester City in the Championship over the next two seasons and in 2012/13 stepped up with two crucial goals against Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers to help fire the Foxes to an ultimately unsuccessful play-off semi-final against Watford. 

The Foxes and Schlupp recovered from that setback to set the 2013/14 Championship alight. The versatile youngster made the left-back role his own towards the end of the campaign and once again displayed an unselfish willingness to do a job for the team in any position. 

He earned a call-up to Ghana’s provisional World Cup squad in 2014 on the back of those displays and soon showed the Premier League his potential with four goals in a memorable campaign from left midfield – his equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Anfield living long in the memory. 

For Leicester City fans, Schlupp’s part in what has been unquestionably the greatest period in Leicester City’s long history will not be forgotten. We wish him every success in your his future career and look forward to welcoming him back to King Power Stadium as both an opposition player and friend of the Club.