The move brings the Italian international’s four-and-a-half year stay at Chelsea to an end. He made 71 appearances and scored two goals.

The second of those strikes provided arguably the most iconic moment of Emerson’s time at Stamford Bridge. He finished superbly at the end of a Chelsea counter-attack that sealed our victory over Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2020/21, and sparked wonderful scenes in the stands between Thiago Silva, Mason Mount and Jorginho.

We would go on to lift the trophy that year, one of four pieces of silverware the left-back picked up at Chelsea. It was from Emerson’s cross that Olivier Giroud put us 1-0 up against Arsenal in the Europa League final of 2019, and having played every minute of 11 games on our path to glory, including both legs of the semi-final and the spectacular derby victory in Baku, nobody merited a medal more than him.

Emerson also won the FA Cup in 2018, and the Super Cup in August last year, shortly before making his final appearance for the Blues as a sub in our Premier League season opener against Crystal Palace. He subsequently departed on loan to Lyon, and now moves across London in a permanent deal.

During his time at Chelsea Emerson also established himself in the Italy team, and leaves having helped the Azzurri win Euro 2020. Like Jorginho, he started in the Wembley final, joining an illustrious group of players to have won that tournament while a Chelsea player.

An energetic presence on the pitch and a generous and friendly character off it, we would like to thank Emerson for his service to the club and wish him all the best in his future career.