Chelsea signed Lucas Piazon in 2011, the Brazilian was seen as a wonderkid with a huge potential to be among the best in future.
Nine years down the road, it has been from one loan spell to another, and the Brazilian who is now 26, has lashed out at the club for using him as a business project. He told Portuguese outlet Maisfutebol: “After a certain point the connection is no longer beneficial for both parties.
“At first, I felt really good. I went through the under-23s, got to the first team and, even in the first loans, I felt Chelsea had expectations and interest in me.
“I believed I could come back and have opportunities at any time.
“Later, as time passed, I became just another business for them. They send me out on loan with the expectation of selling me and making some money with me. “I think that’s more or less what they think.”
Having joined from Brazilian club from Sao Paulo in 2011, Piazon has gone through loan stints at seven different clubs in almost a decade of his Blues career.
The Brazilian has had time at Malaga in La Liga, Vitesse Arnhem in the Eredivisie, Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and Reading in the Championship. He is currently on a two season-long loan deal with Portuguese side Rio Ave until the end of the 2020/21 season, and he’s clearly not happy about the loan system.
This isn’t the first time he’d complain about it, and he also revealed that he once loved the club. He also accused Chelsea of refusing to send him on another loan unless he agreed to pen a new deal, which he did, so they can sell him off for some money.
“It was a complicated relationship,” he added. “They often didn’t like what I said in the interviews but I wanted to make it clear I was very happy in my early years at Chelsea.”