After nine-and-a-half years, one Premier League appearance and seven loan spells, Chelsea’s “longest-serving player” Lucas Piazon has left the club on a permanent basis.
The Brazilian joined Chelsea in 2012 but has now made the permancnet move to SC Braga in Portugal having cut short his loan spell with another Portuguese side, Rio Ave.
Piazon signed for Chelsea from Sao Paulo and has had loan moves to Malaga, Vitesse Arnhem, Frankfurt, Reading, Fulham, Chievo and Rio Ave.
Piazon’s best season came with Fulham in 2018 when he helped the Cottagers to promotion back to the Premier League and he made 58 appearances for Chelsea’s west London neighbours across two seasons on loan with the club.
That was the most he has played for once club across his numerous temporary stints away, with the next best coming with Rio Ave who he made 36 appearances for.
Piazon joins up with former Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Crvalhal, who is now the manager at Braga having also been with Piazon at Rio Ave.
Piazon has signed a four-year contract at Braga after admitting his Blues career was over when he was sent out on loan for a seventh time ahead of this season.
My time at Chelsea is over. I'm 25, I've been on loan several times.
"I've been at Chelsea since 2011, I've been on loan almost all over Europe. I'm tired of playing here and there, I need a place where I can feel at home. I want to know that in July I will return to the same place, to the same house.
"I'd have a good season on loan, but I'd come back and was soon loaned again. There was no point in going out on loan, playing well, coming back, not being used and being loaned again.
"There comes a time in your career that makes no sense anymore. By the way, I said exactly that three years ago and it didn't go so well at Chelsea, it generated some discomfort."
