May 23, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chelsea midfielder Oscar (11) scores a goal against Manchester City at Busch Stadium. Manchester City defeated Chelsea 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
It seems as though Chelsea FC is where Number 10s go to die. After selling off Kevin de Bruyne and Juan Mata, it appears that Oscar is set to join them out of the club for greener pastures.
It’s becoming clearer that Oscar’s falling out of Mourinho’s favour during the second half of the campaign when he was either on the bench or being subbed off at half-time. Per WhoScored, his average match rating went from 7.38 in the 2014 half to 6.78 in the 2015 half while being dropped out of the squad on 4 different occasions.
This dip in form around the New Year has become commonplace for the Brazilian, and it appears Jose believes a change in scenery will serve the young midfielder better. However, considering the goals he has scored for the club in the past, many teams will want to collect his signature with the most prominent transfer rumours surrounding his name going to Juventus and Liverpool.
Considering the Blues will be doing big business in the transfer market again, they will almost surely look for a replacement for Oscar that will not only shore up their squad depth, but will also strengthen the club drastically and place them among Europe’s elite. Here are some candidates for said replacements.