| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Romain Joy Kouakou Esse [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 May 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Lambeth, England | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Coventry City (on loan from Crystal Palace) | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2022 | Millwall | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | Millwall | 61 | (6) |
| 2025– | Crystal Palace | 11 | (1) |
| 2026– | → Coventry City (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | England U18 | 6 | (1) |
| 2023 | England U19 | 8 | (1) |
| 2024– | England U20 | 9 | (1) |
| 2025– | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:59, 26 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:04, 9 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Romain Joy Kouakou Esse (born 13 May 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for EFL Championship side Coventry City on loan from Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Esse is a youth product of Millwall, and impressed in his first senior appearance in a cameo in a friendly against Brøndby in November 2022. [3] He made his professional debut with Millwall as a late substitute in a 2–0 EFL Championship win over Watford on 26 December 2022. [4] On 19 January 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club and was promoted to their senior team for the rest of the season. [5]
On 5 August 2023, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–0 win against Middlesbrough, from an assist by Aidomo Emakhu. [6]
On 18 January 2025, Esse joined local rivals Crystal Palace signing a five-and-a-half year contract. [7] The fee was undisclosed, but was reported to be £12 million, potentially rising to £14.5 million with add-ons. [8] Esse scored against Brentford in a 2–1 loss for Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 26 January with his first touch for the club after coming on as a late substititute. [9]
On 7 January 2026, Esse joined Championship leaders Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season. [10]
On 22 March 2023, Esse made his England U18 debut during a 2–1 win over Croatia in Medulin. [11]
On 6 September 2023, Esse made his England U19 debut during a 1–0 defeat to Germany in Oliva. [12]
On 29 August 2025, Esse was called up to the England under-21s. [13] He made his debut as a substitute during a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Kazakhstan on 8 September 2025. [14]
Born in England, Esse is of Ivorian descent. He attended St Thomas the Apostle College for five years, where he featured in a number of school matches and played an important role in their success. [15]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Millwall | 2022–23 [16] | Championship | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 [17] | Championship | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 [18] | Championship | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| Total | 61 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 7 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2024–25 [19] | Premier League | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 [20] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 3 [a] | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Coventry City (loan) | 2025–26 [20] | Championship | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 79 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 91 | 10 | ||
Crystal Palace