July 2017

Crystal Palace have signed Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a season-long from Chelsea.

The 21-year-old midfielder is Frank de Boer's first signing since he became manager last month.

Loftus-Cheek has spent his whole career at Chelsea since signing for them as an eight-year-old.

He played six times for Chelsea in their title-winning campaign last season and has picked up two Premier League winner's medals. He has also won 17 England under-21 caps.

He told www.cpfc.co.uk: "I had the option of coming to Palace and I thought that it would be great for me.

"I live not 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 part of the team. They have a very strong team and I'd like to be a part of that this season."

Loftus-Cheek said he intends to make the most of his opportunities at Selhurst Park.

"The manager is looking forward to working with me, as I am with him. He wants to get to know me and the way I play, so hopefully we can have a good season together," said Loftus-Cheek.

"I have played a number of positions over the past couple of years, but recently have been playing in a [number] 10 and front three. But for me, it is wherever, so long as I am playing, I am happy.

"I just hope to play a lot more games and give everything I have got. Hopefully we can do well in the league and the cup competitions, so right now there are high hopes."

De Boer is confident Loftus-Cheek is just the right acquisition to begin his rebuilding project at Palace and says he can provide a "quality injection" to the squad.

"He is a very talented player and is a good height and even though he is quite tall, he has very good technique," De Boer said on the Crystal Palace website.

"He is a technical and physical player, so after I looked at our squad I thought he could be a very helpful player for the team and gives us a quality injection.

"He is an attacking midfielder obviously, but with his attacking ability he could also be used as a sitting midfielder. We will have to see what is the best position for him and also what will be the best for the team."