Crystal Palace
Zavier Gozo’s rapid rise ends with a Premier League move
Zavier Gozo has moved from Real Salt Lake to Crystal Palace after a swift rise through the game.
Zavier Gozo’s route to the Premier League began with a simple ambition, one shaped by watching an older brother and playing youth football for nearby Real Salt Lake.
What followed moved far more quickly than he expected. Gozo admitted the pace of his rise has been difficult to fully absorb, saying: “I think it even happened a little bit too fast for me sometimes to even think about and appreciate,” he adds frankly. “ … Life moves so fast. You play well for a couple of games, and you’re an All-Star. It came faster than I thought and faster than a lot of people thought. It’s been a great journey.”
By the time he arrived at Real Salt Lake’s facilities at 14, the first team had already become the target. His professional debut came in October 2023, when he was 16 and came off the bench in a 2-2 draw with LA Galaxy.
Gozo described the moment clearly: “I didn’t even know if I was traveling yet, then [manager] Pablo [Mastroeni] told me,” Gozo says. “I was just so nervous. I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m getting into the game. Then when I was actually there, when they told us we were coming on, my mind went blank at that point.
“I was just taking it all in, looking at the fans and not really believing what was happening, and when I got out there, it was just business as usual. It was amazing. I’ll always remember that moment.”
His progress has since accelerated. Last season he became a regular on the flank, and this spring he produced six goals and five assists in 16 starts across the first half of the season. That form brought a place in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game and attracted Palace’s attention.
The move was completed on Tuesday, with the Eagles agreeing a five-year deal and a reported $15 million fee for the young winger.
Gozo said: “I’m really looking forward to playing in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. It’s the dream of any footballer,” Gozo said in the club’s news release on Tuesday evening. “I’m excited by the people and the project they have going on here. I’ve seen a lot of it, and that’s what excites me about this club as well, the success that they’ve had.”
He has long watched the competition he is now set to join. “Me and my brother used to watch all the Premier League highlights every day, all day and with my dad,” Gozo said on Palace’s social media . “It’s crazy to think I could be in those highlights.”
Gozo also joins Chris Richards at the club, while his own USMNT pathway continues to develop. He has 27 youth appearances for U.S. Soccer, including the U-20 side that finished runner-up at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship and the 2025 U-20 World Cup in Chile.
His senior debut could come in the September international window. Gozo said: “Just missing out on the 2026 World Cup obviously made me realize how much I did want to play for the national team,” Gozo tells Sports Illustrated. “And I do still want to play for the national team. It’s definitely in my mind.”
He added: “This World Cup definitely put a little fire under me to make the next one.”
For now, the timing remains his own, even if the climb has already been fast.
Arsenal
Ten Premier League Signings That May Have Gone Under the Radar
A closer look at the quieter Premier League transfers that have slipped past many observers.
Premier League clubs have already committed huge sums this summer, with the division’s spending said to have reached about $3 billion. Yet some of the moves have barely registered amid the wider noise of the 2026/27 season getting under way.
One of the quieter deals saw Arsenal add Illan Meslier on a free transfer. Once viewed as a major prospect at Leeds United, the French goalkeeper arrives after a difficult spell in which mistakes pushed him down to third choice. He did not play a minute last season, and he is expected to provide cover for David Raya alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga.
João Gomes also changed clubs without quite commanding the same attention as some of the bigger deals. After being linked with Manchester United and Atlético Madrid, he moved from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Aston Villa in a $46 million transfer completed the day after the World Cup final. The midfielder offers energy and force rather than creativity.
Bournemouth continued their pattern of shrewd recruitment by signing Álvaro Rodríguez, an ex-Real Madrid striker who produced seven goals and five assists for Elche in 2025/26. The 22-year-old adds depth as Bournemouth balance domestic and European commitments.
Brentford turned to Callum Wilson on a free transfer after West Ham United’s relegation. The 34-year-old scored seven league goals last season, all while starting only 11 matches, and now sits behind Igor Thiago in Keith Andrews’s plans.
Chelsea added Pep Chavarría for $21.6 million from Rayo Vallecano, while Crystal Palace brought in Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free after his injury-hit spell at Arsenal and brief time with Ajax. Everton also strengthened with Christian Nørgaard, who left Arsenal after helping them win the Premier League title.
Manchester United moved for free agent Karl Darlow as backup to Senne Lammens after loan exits for André Onana and Altay Bayındır. Newcastle United signed Aladji Bamba for $47 million, and Sunderland added Thomas Meunier in one of their few new arrivals.
Arsenal
Premier League 2026/27: the big question facing each club
Every Premier League club faces a different test as the 2026/27 season begins with uncertainty.
With the 2026/27 Premier League campaign approaching, uncertainty hangs over almost every club. Some arrive with momentum, others with major turnover, and several face a season defined by change rather than stability. The questions are different, but the pressure is universal.
Arsenal’s challenge is whether a title drought can finally be lifted without the weight of recent near misses slowing them down. Their squad still looks built for attacking football, with Riccardo Calafiori offering an extra route into the box alongside Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze. Yet stricter rules on contact at set pieces and the long-term absence of William Saliba may limit familiar strengths.
Aston Villa also enter the new season with serious strain. Unai Emery has delivered remarkable success, but the club have lost important figures across the playing and coaching staff, while Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Amadou Onana’s ACL injury have left the midfield in need of repair.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth face life after Andoni Iraola, Brentford must prove Igor Thiago’s extraordinary scoring run can last, and Brighton step into Europe with the burden that comes with being a Premier League side in continental competition.
Chelsea remain in a cycle of renewal, this time leaning into experience with Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City and Ipswich Town each have their own defining issue, whether that is upheaval, recruitment, a managerial reset or a difficult leap in ambition.
Leeds United must survive the “difficult and dangerous” second season. Liverpool need to adapt to a more physical game. Manchester City are reshaping a key area of the pitch without Pep Guardiola. Manchester United must handle a far busier schedule. Newcastle have lost too many regular starters. Nottingham Forest have handed another manager a highly volatile job. Sunderland face the demands of Europe, while Tottenham and West Ham are already living with the cost of major squad reconstruction.
The new season begins with one common theme: every club has a question to answer.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Complete Five-Year Move for USMNT Prospect Zavier Gozo
Crystal Palace have signed teenage winger Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake on a five-year deal.
Crystal Palace have added another young American talent to their ranks, confirming the signing of Zavier Gozo from MLS side Real Salt Lake on a five-year contract. The deal is reported to be worth more than $15 million.
Gozo, a 19-year-old winger from West Valley City, Utah, has progressed quickly. He moved from his local boyhood club to Real Salt Lake’s academy six years ago and went on to make his MLS debut in 2023 at the age of 16. His next step now takes him into one of the most demanding leagues in world football.
Palace moved for him after a strong start to the MLS season. In the first half of the campaign, he produced six goals and five assists in 16 starts, form that earned him his first MLS All-Star selection.
“He’s Palace now. We are delighted to have completed the signing of exciting teenage attacker Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake 🦅”
Gozo reflected on how quickly events have unfolded when speaking at the MLS All-Star Game.
“I think [my rise] even happened a little bit too fast for me sometimes to even think about and appreciate,” Gozo tells Sports Illustrated while at the MLS All-Star Game. “ … Life moves so fast. You play well for a couple of games, and you’re an All-Star. It came faster than I thought and faster than a lot of people thought. It’s been a great journey.”
At Palace, he links up with fellow American Chris Richards. The defender is an established figure for the U.S. men’s national team and started at the 2026 World Cup this summer. Gozo, who is seven years younger, is hoping to follow a similar path and make his senior international debut as soon as this fall.
The club also shared a message from Richards to Gozo in a video posted on social media.
“Yo bro, it’s Chris,” Richards said through a phone message to Gozo in a video the club posted to social media. “Heard through the grapevine you might be joining me in South London all the way from the 801. Can’t wait to get going. Congrats bro, and see you soon.”
Gozo and Richards will now find themselves among several other American players in Premier League competition this season, including Antonee Robinson at Fulham and Brenden Aaronson at Leeds United.
