'The Time Has Now Come to Move on': Willian Announces Chelsea Exit in Moving Open Letter to Fans

Brazilian Willian has played his last match in a Chelsea shirt and he made the announcement of his exit from the London club through an open letter written for the fans of the club.

There have been reports doing rounds that Willian is all set to move to Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal and amidst these rumours, Willian has made his exit from Chelsea official.

In an open letter for the fans of Chelsea, Willian recalled the time when he first "received the offer from Chelsea" and said that he now knew he had made the right choice to arrive at Stamford Bridge.

He said that apart from the trophies he had won at the club, the experience in the Chelsea blue made him a "better player and a better person."

He thanked the fans of the club for the way they treated him throughout his 7-year stint at the club. He said even the criticism only drove him to do better.

Willian stated that he was going to miss everyone associated with the club but he leaves knowing he always did his "best in a Chelsea shirt."

Here is the full transcript of Willian's letter:

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!