Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell insists he is very excited to join Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season after agreeing a deadline day exit from Stamford Bridge.
Upon his arrival at the club in the summer, Enzo Maresca made it clear that Chilwell would not be a regular feature in his squad. After an exit from Chelsea was not confirmed in the first transfer window of the season, the former England international was shunned from the first-team picture as Maresca favoured Marc Cucurella.
Chilwell would feature just once in the first half of the season, playing 45 minutes in the victory over Barrow in the Carabao Cup. He was named on the bench in the defeat to Newcastle United in the following round and that was the last Chelsea fans saw of him in a matchday squad.
With a further six months on the sidelines staring him in the face, Chilwell was relieved to see a move to Palace be confirmed on deadline day. After his arrival was confirmed by the Eagles, the full-back said: “I’m very excited to be here.
“Crystal Palace are 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.”
After securing their man, 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 debut for Palace on Monday night when they travel to League Two Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup.
