The Brazilian midfielder will return to Fulham for the upcoming season, after having signed a contract extension with Chelsea.
The 23-year-old put pen to paper on a 2-year contract extension with his parent club, which will see him extend his current deal till the summer of 2019, before being sent out on loan to continue his development across town at Craven Cottage.
Piazon enjoyed a decent spell with the Cottagers last season, scoring 6 and assisting 4 in 33 appearances across all competitions for Slavisa Jokanovic’s side, helping them to an eventual 6th place finish in the Championship and the semi-finals of the play-offs, which they lost to Reading.
Speaking to Fulham’s official website, the 23-year-old attacker insisted that it was the best move for him and that he had some ‘unfinished business’ at the club, “I believe it is a very good move for me And I am very happy with the decision. There is a certain feeling of unfinished business.”
He went on to say, “It felt like I must come back and help the team to reach what we were chasing last year, so it will be a very exciting season. This is the first time I will spend two seasons with a club. I am excited to see the boys and get back into training.”
?️ | The Club is pleased to announce that Lucas Piazon will be returning on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
? https://t.co/VFeMx03WGx pic.twitter.com/Pl2g7GRmpV
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 14, 2017
This will be Piazon’s 6th spell out on loan as a Chelsea player. The Blues saw off competition from a number of other clubs to sign the highly-rated youngster from Sao Paolo in 2011. He would make his debut in 2012 and would go on to feature two more times, before being sent out on loan.
Between January 2012 to the present day, Piazon was sent to Malaga in La Liga, Vitesse Arnhem in the Eredivisie, Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, Reading in the Championship and eventually Fulham at the start of last season, in that order.
Pizaon’s Fulham stint was initially meant to be a 6-month spell, but after an impressive first half of the season in which made 20 appearances across all competitions and netted 4 goals, the Cottagers thought it best to extend his deal till the end of the season.
The Brazilian joins an ever growing contingent of youth players out the door this summer. Nathan Ake, Nathaniel Chalobah and Bertrand Traore have all left the club permanently, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek , Ola Aina and Tammy Abraham have moved out on loan.
Piazon was used mainly as a left winger last season, but can play on the right or an as an attacking midfielder as well. With Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro battling for places in the starting XI, the 23-year-old would have likely found opportunities difficult to come across.
The Blues would have likely been pleased with Piazon’s performance last season, which is why they offered him a 2 year extension with the club. If he were to build upon what was a promising campaign, a place in next season’s first team surely beckons or even better, a mid season recall.
