Crystal Palace have confirmed the loan signing of Ben Chilwell from Chelsea for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
The England international makes the move to Selhurst Park after being frozen out of Enzo Maresca's Blues squad, only playing one match for the West London giants in the EFL Cup this season.
Chilwell has not earned a single minute of action since September's 5-0 EFL Cup win over Barrow, having already failed to secure an exit in the summer when he was deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca.
The former Leicester City man was previously said to have been on the radar of Borussia Dortmund, but the Bundesliga side instead pursued a deal for his Blues teammate Carney Chukwuemeka.
Nevertheless, Crystal Palace extended an olive branch to Chilwell, who completed his temporary switch to Selhurst Park on transfer deadline day and labelled his decision to join Oliver Glasner's side a "no-brainer".
Chilwell: 'No-brainer to join Crystal Palace'
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"I'm very excited to be here," the left-back told the official Crystal Palace website. "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."
Meanwhile, 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 has become Palace's second and final signing of the January transfer window, following 19-year-old midfielder Romain Esse to Selhurst Park for the remainder of the campaign.
The 28-year-old has registered nine goals and 12 assists in 107 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Leicester for £41.7m in 2020, and he could make his debut against Doncaster Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup next Monday.
Palace occupy 12th place in the Premier League table following the weekend's stunning 2-0 success over Manchester United, and Chilwell will provide backup and competition to Tyrick Mitchell on the left-hand side.
Could Chelsea still announce more exits?
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Transfer windows across Europe may have slammed shut, but Chelsea are still expected to announce a couple more exits in the coming hours, as Joao Felix has arrived in Italy ahead of his loan move to AC Milan.
The 25-year-old was left out of the squad for Monday's 2-1 home win over West Ham United in the Premier League, as was Axel Disasi, who should soon be confirmed as an Aston Villa player.
Chelsea were always going to be focused on outgoings rather than incomings during the January market, and Maresca's side end the winter window without adding a single new face to their ranks.
The Blues have recalled David Datro Fofana from his loan deal at Turkish outfit Goztepe SK, but the Ivorian attacker will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
Ben Knapton
