'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea winger Lucas Piazon has come out and slammed the loan system of the Stamford Bridge outfit, describing it as a business for profit.
The 26-year-old signed for the Blues in 2011, joining the club's academy from Brazilian side Sao Paolo. However, in the last nine years, he has failed to make a mark on the six-time league champions.
Piazon has only made three appearances in all competitions for the West London side, with his last appearance coming back in 2012.
He has, however, undergone several loan spells in different countries, with no fewer than seven clubs from six different countries having signed Piazon on loan since 2013.
His case is not peculiar as Chelsea are infamous for having an extensive loan model that sees them sign young players from all over the world and subsequently loan them to different clubs with no intention of blooding them into the senior team.
It is a model that has been criticized by fans and pundits alike and Lucas Piazon has come out to lend his voice to the criticisms.
Speaking on his Chelsea ordeal to Maisfutebol, he said:
''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.“
The criticism of the Chelsea loan system and increased representation under Frank Lampard
Lucas Piazon is not the first to come out against the Chelsea loan model. There have been several instances of top figures in football criticizing the system, with Sam Allardyce once saying that the business model would send players into early retirement.
At a point, Chelsea had over 35 players on loan, none of whom made a mark on the senior team. For almost two decades, John Terry was the only academy graduate to cement his status with the club despite all their remarkable exploits in youth competitions.
All that changed with the appointment of Frank Lampard last year, as the former Derby County manager made academy graduates including Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, and Fikayo Tomori key members of his squad.
Chelsea were under a transfer ban and in many ways, this was a function of providence. Whether the club continues this trend in the future remains to be seen.
