Ben Chilwell has joined Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season.
Chelsea have been seeking suitors for Chilwell since the summer transfer window when Enzo Maresca decided that the defender was surplus to requirements.
However, a summer move failed to emerge and he found himself on the outskirts of the Chelsea squad, training in isolation from the first team at their Cobham headquarters alongside fellow exile Carney Chukwuemeka.
The England international, who has been capped 21 times for his country, has played just 45 minutes of football this term — coming on as a half time substitute in Chelsea’s 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over League Two Barrow.
Chilwell joined Chelsea for a fee in the region of £50m from former Premier League champions Leicester City in 2020. He was an ever-present during Frank Lampard’s spell at the Bridge while winning the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel in 2021.
After Chelsea's Champions League prevail, Chilwell was hit with torrid injury luck. An ACL injury at the end of 2021 restricted him to just 13 games in the 2021/22 campaign, while persistent hamstring problems caused the European Championship finalist to miss considerable game time in the following two seasons.
The 28-year-old is expected to provide competition for Tyrick Mitchell at left wing-back, which Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has vocally lobbied for. Mitchell, 25, has been the sole left-back at the club since Patrick van Aanholt’s departure in 2021.
Chilwell becomes the seventh player to move from Chelsea to Crystal Palace on loan since the latter's promotion in 2013.
His switch to Selhurst Park was made possible after Chelsea prematurely recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his season-long loan at Palace last month — freeing up a loan spot and allowing the Eagles to take a new player on a temporary deal from the Blues.
Putting pen to paper, Chilwell said: “I'm very excited to be here. Crystal Palace is a club that's going in a great direction. You look at the last few months, with the results and how the team's playing, and it was a no-brainer to make the decision to come here."
Palace chairman Steve Parish added: “Ben has experience at the highest level of European and international football. I’m delighted that he has joined us on loan, and we believe he will prove to be a great addition to the squad.”
Chilwell could make his Palace debut as early as next Monday when Glasner's side face League Two Doncaster in the FA Cup.
