Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has reportedly agreed a loan move to Crystal Palace and is set to undergo a medical ahead of a deadline day move.
The 28-year-old signed from Leicester City in August 2020 for £50m and was part of the Chelsea team that won the Champions League in 2021, but he has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
Boss Enzo Maresca has only given the left-back one appearance in all competitions this season, substituting him on in the EFL Cup against Barrow in September.
Maresca made his opinion on Chilwell clear in the summer when he told reporters in August that it would be best if the defender moved on, saying: "It is probably better to leave and get minutes [elsewhere]. The transfer window is open so we'll see what happens."
The Telegraph now claim that the England international is set to complete a loan move to Crystal Palace for the rest of the season.
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Will Chilwell fit in at Palace?
Maresca was critical of Chilwell's ability to adapt to the demands of playing as a left-back in his system, with Marc Cucurella seen as a better fit.
At Palace, the England defender would almost certainly be fielded on the left of a back five and would be given licence to join the Eagles' offensive line.
However, manager Oliver Glasner already has Tyrick Mitchell at his disposal, and the Palace defender has shown great promise at both ends of the pitch, so it is difficult to see how sharing minutes with the Chelsea player would benefit the 25-year-old's development.
It should also be noted that Chilwell has suffered numerous injury issues during his time in London, and has been unavailable for 110 matches since 2020-21.
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Are Chelsea taking a risk?
Chelsea already recalled Trevor Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace in order to help alleviate their injury crisis in the backline.
Centre-back Benoit Badiashile could return later this month, while Wesley Fofana is not scheduled to make his comeback from a hamstring injury until May.
Though Chilwell would not be suited to playing as a centre-back, current first-choice left-back Cucurella does, so perhaps keeping the Englishman around would have at least have given Maresca greater versatility across his squad.
With Crystal Palace set to secure Chilwell's signature for the next few months, Malo Gusto could be seen as one option to fill in occasionally at left-back given he has operated on the left side of defence for Chelsea in the past.
Lewis Nolan
