Crystal Palace sign Martin Kelly from Liverpool on three-year deal

Crystal Palace have announced the signing of defender Martin Kelly from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old passed a medical before agreeing terms on a three-year contract, and he is expected to be handed his Palace debut in their season opener at Arsenal this weekend.

Kelly graduated from the Liverpool academy and made his senior debut in 2009, but a serious knee injury sidelined him for almost a year and he found first-team chances hard to come by on his return to fitness.

The full-back, who earned an England cap in a friendly against Norway in 2012, made only 62 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, and he is looking forward to playing regular first-team football under Palace boss Tony Pulis.

"I'm over the moon," he told the Crystal Palace website. "It was a lot of travelling to get down yesterday, but I'm glad to have signed and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

"I'd heard about a potential move at the start of the summer, but I just wanted to concentrate on playing again in pre-season. I played a lot of games, which is what I needed. I've been out, fit, but not playing competitively all of last season.

"Now is the time at my age where I need to get back to playing week-in week-out. I'm looking forward to playing under Tony [Pulis] and playing regular football again.

"I remember coming here with Liverpool at the back end of last season to the 3-3 draw and the fans were incredible.

"That was one of the only stadiums I've come to where it felt like Liverpool fans and the way they got behind the team on Champions League nights.

"The fans are massive at any club - they were brilliant at Liverpool - and they seem brilliant here.

"But I've looked around the training ground and all the posters on the wall are about the team. That's what I want, to play for a team."