Ruben Loftus-Cheek Joins Crystal Palace on 1-Year Loan from Chelsea

Crystal Palace completed the loan signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea on Wednesday, with the England under-21 international moving to Selhurst Park on a one-year deal.

A statement on the Eagles' official website confirmed the news of Loftus-Cheek's temporary departure from Stamford Bridge.

The midfielder said he hopes the move to Palace will be good for him, per the club statement:

"I had the option of coming to Palace, and I thought that it would be great for me. I live not too far away, I was born in Lewisham and Palace is a good club so I thought it's a good chance to play here and be a part of the team. They have a very strong team and I'd like to be a part of that this season."

The 21-year-old has long been viewed as one of the most talented young prospects in England, per the Telegraph.

However, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho afforded him few first-team opportunities, and little has changed since the club appointed Antonio Conte.

In the 2016-17 campaign, Loftus-Cheek played only 31 minutes in the Premier League having been granted 408 minutes of top-flight action in 2015-16, per WhoScored.com.

It is obvious that the Londoner needs more game time than that if he is to make good on his enormous potential.

He will hope to see a lot more action under Palace manager Frank de Boer, and the competition for places in the middle of the park will not be as fierce as it is at Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, Loftus-Cheek could be valuable for the Eagles, as he is a gifted passer of the ball and should work well in the south London outfit's squad. 

Having been given little chance to show his talents at Chelsea, the youngster will relish the opportunity for more game time at Selhurst Park. 

For their part, Chelsea and their fans will look for Loftus-Cheek to flourish at Palace and return to west London rejuvenated at the end of his loan spell.