Crystal Palace are pleased to announce the signing of England under-21 international Patrick Bamford from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal.





The 21-year-old striker arrives from the Blues having starred at Middlesbrough last season where he scored 17 times in the Championship and named the division’s Player of the Year.





Bamford becomes the Club’s second summer signing after the arrival of Yohan Cabaye earlier this month.





Commenting on his signing, Bamford said, “I was quite keen to stay close to London this time and Palace were actually my first choice, but I didn't realise they were keen to start with. Then, when I met with the manager, he put forward his plans and it was an easy decision."





The England under-21 added, “I like to get in behind the defence. I'd say I'm deceptively quick, but I'm sure they'll make their own minds up! I do like to score goals, so hopefully I'll be able to do that a lot here. I want to try to establish myself in a Premier League team and if I can do that here then it would be great for me and great for the club.”





Eagles manager Alan Pardew was delighted by the young forward’s decision to join the club for the season.





“It’s a coup for Crystal Palace ahead of a host of rivals,” he said. “I’m so pleased he chose us over others to help develop his game. Hopefully he will be a star for us, Chelsea and – of course – England.





“Patrick is one of England’s brightest prospects and I will liaise with Jose [Mourinho], Gareth [Southgate] and Dan Ashworth on his progress during this important year in his career.”





Bamford began his career at Nottingham Forest where he progressed through their Academy and played twice for the first-team before being signed by Chelsea for £1.5 million in January 2012. He then enjoyed a couple of loan spells with MK Dons between 2012 and 2014, where he scored 21 goals in 44 games in League One and more recently in the Championship for Derby County where he played the second half of 2013/14, as the Rams narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.





Last season saw him move to Teeside where he was an instant success, scoring 19 times in all competitions including once against Manchester City in the FA Cup where Boro pulled off an upset win at the Etihad Stadium.





As well as representing his country at under-21 level, he has also played for the Three Lions at under-18 and under-20 levels. He was included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the UEFA Under-21 Championships this summer but missed out on the tournament through injury.



