Crystal Palace youngster has loan terminated after a month to join another EFL club in same division

Aug 12, 2026 - 12:15

Young Crystal Palace midfielder Hindolo Mustapha has left Wigan Athletic after barely a month on loan with the club.

The 20-year-old joined Wigan on a season-long loan in early July, but the deal has been terminated before the start of the new League One campaign.

Hindolo Mustapha runs with the ball, chased by a Southampton player, while playing for Crystal Palace Under-21s. — Mustapha was named Crystal Palace Under-21s Player of the Season for his performances in Premier League 2 in 2024/25

But Mustapha will still begin the season in the third tier having made another loan move, this time to newly promoted Notts County.

Announcing Mustapha’s departure on their website, Wigan explained: “After a period of adapting to his surroundings, it was felt that a change would be beneficial for all parties. Hindolo now returns to Selhurst Park to continue the next stage of his development.”

The Sierra Leone international featured for Wigan in pre-season but was not included in the squad for their first competitive game of the campaign, Saturday’s Carabao Cup first-round defeat on penalties to Barnsley.

Having joined Palace‘s youth set-up at U9 level, Mustapha went on to sign his first professional contract at Selhurst Park in January 2024.

He has yet to break into the Eagles’ first team but did make two appearances for their U21 side in the 2024/25 EFL Trophy, scoring once.

And unfortunately for Mustapha, this isn’t his first loan spell that hasn’t worked out.

Loaned out to German second-tier outfit Nurnberg for the first half of last term, he returned to Palace in January without having played a single minute.

During that stint, Nurnberg boss Miroslav Klose appeared to question Mustapha’s attitude.

“He has something that I like,” Klose said. “That’s why I will support him – but only up to a certain point. But we brought him in because he has to perform here.

“It’s not like in London, where he can stroll through the city and go shopping,” he said. “Perhaps it’s a bit different in Nuremberg. We need time to settle in a bit, but we won’t be able to manage without him. He needs to know where our limits are, where everything starts with discipline.”

Mustapha subsequently spent the second half of the 2025/26 campaign with Championship West Brom, though he only featured twice for the Baggies.

Hindolo Mustapha runs with the ball while playing for West Bromwich Albion. — Mustapha made a sole Championship appearance for West Brom

He’ll be hoping to be more involved for Martin Paterson’s Notts County, who host Leicester in their League One opener this Saturday.

Mustapha is one of three players Palace have loaned out so far this summer.

Goalkeeper Owen Goodman and left-back Rio Cardines have joined Dundee and Bristol City respectively, both on season-long loans.

Palace begin the new Premier League campaign away to Everton next Saturday.

It’s the start of a new era for the Eagles, now managed by Pierre Sage following the departure of FA Cup and Conference League-winning boss Oliver Glasner, who has since taken over at Nottingham Forest.