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Goalkeeper Joe Whitworth joined the Grecians on a season-long loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window.

20-year-old Joe, who made his Premier League debut in March, has played internationally for England at under-15, under-16 and under-18 level and is Gary Caldwell sixth signing of the summer window.

Whitworth’s youth career began with AFC Wimbledon before joining the Eagles in 2016 at the age of 13, working his way up to become the club’s youngest ever top flight keeper.

Described by Palace as “a goalkeeper in the modern mould, with excellent distribution skills as well as shot-stopping ability,” Joe is the oldest of three goalkeeping brothers and became first choice for the under-23s at the age of 18 in 2021/22, making 23 appearances in Premier League 2 – including a run of saving three successive penalties.

He made 33 appearances in total for the U21s in 23/24, keeping seven clean sheets and saving two penalties. Earning plaudits for his performances, Whitworth earned the U21s Player of the Season award before a claiming a clean-sheet and stand out performance in the Premier League International Cup final victory against PSV in May.