Crystal Palace have moved again to underline their growing reputation in the youth market, securing highly rated Moroccan defender Taha Mejni from Ittihad Touarga.
The 18-year-old – already a youth world champion with Morocco – will link up with Darren Powell’s Under-21 side and step straight into a demanding schedule of Premier League 2, Premier League International Cup and EFL Trophy football.
From Rabat to south London
Mejni’s rise has been sharp. He came through the academy at Ittihad Touarga and made his senior debut in June 2025, thrown into the pressure of an Excellence Cup semi-final against Wydad Fez. He coped, they won, and a door opened.
By the end of last season he had 17 senior appearances for the Moroccan top-flight club, 15 of them in the 2025-26 campaign and 13 as a starter. Coaches trusted him at centre-back, at right-back, and often in situations where mistakes are punished. He stayed in the team.
Crystal Palace’s assessment is simple: “a versatile player capable of playing at centre-back or right-back,” a defender who mixes technique with relish for the physical battle. For an academy that has already pushed a steady stream of talent into the first team, he fits the profile.
World champion at 17
Mejni’s résumé already carries a line many professionals never get close to: Under-20 world champion.
At just 17, he was part of Morocco’s historic Under-20 World Cup triumph in Chile last year – the country’s first title at that level. The route to glory was brutal: Brazil, Spain, France, Argentina. Morocco beat them all. Mejni played his part in a group that refused to be overawed by any shirt, any anthem, any reputation.
That success fast-tracked him into the Morocco Under-23 set-up. In March, he added two more caps, including a start in a 2-2 draw with Ivory Coast, another step in a career that keeps jumping levels without losing balance.
Palace’s pitch – and belief
For Palace, this is not a speculative punt. It is a targeted move.
Academy director Gary Issott did not hide his admiration for the defender’s body of work so far, pointing to an “excellent 25-26 season” in the Moroccan first division and his role in that Under-20 World Cup win at 17. The club view him as “multi-talented” and believe their environment is built to sharpen those tools, not blunt them.
Mejni, for his part, made clear why he chose south London. After signing, he called Crystal Palace “one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and around the world,” spoke of what the club has achieved in recent years, and framed the move as the start of “a new adventure.”
The plan is clear: settle in the Under-21s, absorb the pace and physicality of English football, and then push. Palace have shown with their recent pathway that the jump from academy to first team is not theoretical.
An emotional farewell
Before turning fully to England, Mejni closed a chapter in Morocco with a heartfelt message on Instagram.
“After 5 wonderful years, the time has come for me to begin a new and important chapter in my life,” he wrote, thanking Ittihad Touarga for their trust, the opportunities, and the memories that shaped him “on and off the pitch.”
He reserved special words for his coaches, praising their advice, patience and belief, and for his team-mates, some of whom “became like brothers.” He spoke of leaving with “gratitude, pride and beautiful memories” and saluted “everyone who believed in me and those who continue to keep the club’s spirit alive every day.”
His sign-off captured the weight of the moment: “Thank you for everything, Ittihad Tanger. I will always be proud to have worn these colours. A new page opens, but the story continues. Forever grateful.”
Now the story moves to south London. A teenager who has already beaten Brazil, Spain, France and Argentina at a World Cup walks into an academy that expects its best to aim for Selhurst Park. How long before his name appears on a Premier League teamsheet?
