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.
Gareth Bale
By Anish Morarji [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsGo big or go home, right?
After setting a world record for transfer fee when he went to Real Madrid, Chelsea FC will have to spend more money than they’ve ever spent on a player to grab this Galactico. Certainly a front-three of Hazard, Costa, and Bale would have Chelsea fans salivating.
It might require an exodus in order to get Bale and abide by the FFP Regulations, but it would be well worth the transaction. In Bale, Chelsea will be getting a player who’s proven at the Premier League level and has world-class dribbling and pace. He provides finishing and crucial assists, has a deadly free-kick, and would be a prized asset to this Chelsea team.
He appears to have fallen out of favour at Real Madrid, with the fans booing him as he touches the ball because he more often than not elects to shoot it rather than pass to Cristiano. It’s a very high standard that the Real Madrid players have to live up to. If the fans feel unhappy about a certain player, they let him know it. Lots of people don’t like it, but I think it provides extra motivation for the players – not that I would ever condone Chelsea fans booing our own.
He won’t have to play in anyone’s shadow at Chelsea, and he would become a fan favourite here. However, if Real end up winning the Champions League with Bale at the heart of the success like he was last year, he’ll more than likely stay at the club.
Paul Pogba
By Muhammad Ashiq [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsHe will be the most sought-after midfielder on the market this summer, and plenty of teams will go after him. If Chelsea wants to prove that they’re an elite team in Europe, they should look to acquire his signature ahead of teams like Real Madrid, PSG, and Manchester City who are all after him. He would play alongside Matic which would move Cesc Fabregas up to the number 10 role.
He’s played this position with varied success throughout his career, but having someone like Pogba regularly feeding him balls will certainly add to Chelsea’s already potent scoring threat. He can also contribute on the defensive side of the field, averaging 2.5 tackles a game and boasting a defensive rating of 7.78 on WhoScored.
It’ll take a lot to get him away from the Italian champions, as they showed their stubbornness in retaining Arturo Vidal last summer. However, with Juventus continuing to perform at a high level without Pogba in the lineup due to injury, perhaps the club will feel as though they can cash in on him.
Marco Reus
It seemed as though Reus was committed to staying at Borussia Dortmund after signing a long-term contract in January. But that was when Klopp was still at the club, and it’s now more than likely that he’ll decide to leave along with his manager. Dortmund can go two separate routes: either keep Reus and build the team around him, or cash in on him and build a core through his transfer fee and the youth system.
If they decide on the latter, having Reus join a Premier League team like Chelsea would certainly provide a more attractive option for the club instead of seeing another one of their top talents join Bayern Munich. It would also bode well for Reus since he will be keen on playing in the Champions League and being opposite of Hazard.
After guys like Gotze and Lewandowski left Dortmund, Reus had to come up with ways to win matches by himself, and since football’s a team sport, it’s no wonder Dortmund underperformed so much this year. His services would be welcome at any of Europe’s top clubs, but he’d be able to fit in nicely at Chelsea.
Promote a youngster
With the Premier League secured, Mourinho will use the team’s final fixtures as a tryout for the team’s reserves. They’ve achieved the same amount of success that the parent club has, having won the FA Youth Cup for the third time in four years and the U21 Premier League title within reach.
Mourinho has already committed to giving Ruben Loftus-Cheek some first team minutes next year, while someone else who’s out on loan may be due for a promotion as well. After bringing back Courtois from three loan spells at Atletico Madrid provided tremendous success, Mourinho may well do the same next year with someone like Thorgan Hazard or Lucas Piazon.
Patrick Bamford won the League Championship Player of the Year, although he’s a centre forward, but he’s more than capable of playing the number 10 role as well. Mourinho has a wealth of young talent at his disposal, and finding an adequate replacement for Oscar could very well come at no cost.
Keep him
Jun 17, 2014; Fortaleza, Ceara, BRAZIL; Brazil midfielder Oscar (11) follows through against Mexico during the second half of their 0-0 tie in a 2014 World Cup game at Estadio Castelao. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The main argument for Oscar’s mid-season drop off over the years is due to his expectation to carry the load for both club and country. Having played in the Olympics, the Confederations’ Cup, and the World Cup in the last three summers for Brazil – in addition to all the international friendlies throughout the year – the burden of having to play regularly for Chelsea has become too much for Oscar.
This year, David Ospina may have awarded Oscar another season at Chelsea by keeping him out of the Brazil squad for Copa America this year. This will give him the motivation to come back stronger and fully fit for Chelsea next season, and prove to Mourinho that he’s a player worth keeping around for another year. Having Oscar with that hungry mentality may end up doing wonders for Chelsea, and he may prove himself to be valuable to the club just yet.
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