Chelsea midfielder Willian Borges da Silva has announced that he will be leaving the North London side on a free transfer.
Willian, who turns 32 on Sunday, had been in talks over a new contract at Chelsea but since it didn’t materialized he decided to end his association with the club.
This month of August mark his seven years in the club, and during his seven years at the Stamford Bridge the Brazil international won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Europa League, and the League Cup.
In emotional letter published by the midfielder himself, Willian says that now it’s time to say goodbye to Chelsea, amid speculations that he’s edging closer to a move to Arsenal.
SEE WILLIAN’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
“AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FANS OF CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB.
“They were seven wonderful years. In August 2013 when I received the offer from Chelsea, I was convinced that this was where I had to play. Today I am certain that it was the best of decisions. There were so many happy times, some sad, there were trophies and it was always very intense.
“Yet, beyond the trophies, I learnt a lot about myself. I developed a great deal, becoming a better player and a better person. With each training session, with each game, with every minute spent in the dressing room, I was always learning.
“I am really grateful to the Chelsea fans for the affectionate way they welcomed me at Stamford Bridge and their support throughout my time at the club. There was also criticism, which is normal, what is important though is that both the affection and criticism drove me to always give my all in every training session, every game, to be constantly improving until my very last minute in a Chelsea shirt!
“The time has now come to move on. I am certainly going to miss my teammates. I will miss all the staff at the club who’ve always treated me like a son and I will miss the fans. I leave with my head held high, safe in the knowledge that I won things here and always did my best in a Chelsea shirt!
“My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you and God bless you!”
A OPEN LETTER TO THE FANS OF @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/ZUUEfwnx5d
— Willian (@willianborges88) August 9, 2020
