Crystal Palace have renewed the contracts of two youngsters, the club have confirmed.

Jake Gray and Ryan Inniss have extended their stays at Selhurst Park having earned themselves new deals with the club. Both are highly thought of at Palace and have impressed with the youth teams as well as elsewhere on loan in the lower divisions of English football.

Gray, who signs a two-year deal, initially came through Wycombe Wanderers' youth set-up, but made the switch to Palace at the age of 16 and joined up with the first team a year later. He made his professional debut for the club at the end of last year in a League Cup match with Walsall.

The winger then appeared in the next round of the competition too as his side faced Newcastle United. He has become an integral part of the under 21s side, who won the title last season, and even took part in Palace's pre-season campaign prior to the 2014-15 season as they toured the USA and Austria.

Gray, aged 19, also joined Cheltenham Town on loan in January of this year and played three games in League Two, his first experience of league football in his senior career.

Inniss set for another loan following new deal

Inniss, on the other hand, is a central defender who has been with Palace since 2008 and he signs a three-year deal. The 20-year-old impressed so much in the youth set-up that he was awarded a three-year professional deal on his 17th birthday, one that ran out last month before he signed his new deal this week. 

Despite not having as much experience with Palace as Gray, only appearing as an unused substitute in the Premier League back in October 2013 with the club and yet to make his debut, Inniss has far more experience at senior level than his teammate, having enjoyed five loan spells in the last two years. 

His first spell away from Selhurst Park came with Cheltenham in the 2013-14 campaign, but he made just two appearances as his loan was cut short by injury. Short stints with Luton Town, then in the Conference Premier, Gillingham, Yeovil Town and Port Vale then followed and have helped him tot up a decent 17 league appearances for temporary clubs.

The latter were so impressed with Inniss that they contacted Palace about his availability this summer, but the League One side were put off by his £600,000 price tag. Still, he is expected to return to Vale on a season long loan this year as he continues to develop.

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About the author
Amee Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]