After months on the sidelines at Chelsea, Ben Chilwell is finally set to secure a fresh start at Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season. The 28-year-old left-back has struggled for game time under Enzo Maresca, featuring for just 45 minutes in a Carabao Cup match this season.
With Chelsea unwilling to find a permanent solution last summer, Chilwell remained part of the club’s ‘bomb squad’—a group of unwanted players frozen out of the first-team picture.
Now, on deadline day, Palace have swooped in to offer him an escape route, covering less than half of his £200,000-a-week wages.
The move is a logical one for Chilwell, who hopes to regain form and push for an England recall under new national team boss Thomas Tuchel, his former Chelsea manager.
While the transfer appears beneficial for all involved, former Arsenal star Paul Merson isn’t convinced that Chilwell will walk into Oliver Glasner’s starting XI.
Palace’s current left-back, Tyrick Mitchell, has been a consistent performer, and Merson questions whether Chilwell will immediately displace him.
“I like Chilwell, he’s a good player, but Mitchell hasn’t done anything wrong,” Merson told Sky Sports. “And Daniel Muñoz on the other side has been outstanding.
Chilwell’s kept his head down at Chelsea, he hasn’t made a fuss, and he needs to play football—but I’d be disappointed if I were Mitchell.”
With Palace rejecting a £70 million bid from Tottenham for Marc Guehi, speculation has grown over how Chilwell will fit into the team.
Some reports suggest he could even be deployed as a centre-back following Chadi Riad’s season-ending injury and Trevoh Chalobah’s return to Chelsea.
Merson sees this as a possibility, especially if Palace anticipate Guehi’s departure in the summer.
For now, Chilwell’s immediate challenge will be earning his place in the side, and his first opportunity may come in the FA Cup clash against Doncaster Rovers.
Whether he becomes a key player or a luxury option remains to be seen.