This week has not only been special for the fact how the festive season has begun and how Christmas is knocking on the door, but in footballing terms, Chelsea completed a bit of brilliant business by agreeing to sell Oscar to Shanghai SIPG on a £60m deal this January.
The Blues signed the Brazilian midfielder in 2012 for £25m, and after falling down in Antonio Conte’s pecking order this season, the 25-year-old had no real reason to turn down a £400,000-a-week deal at the Chinese Super League.
But, the money is already burning a hole into Conte’s back-pocket and we’ve decided to list three quality replacements for an Oscar-shaped role in midfield for Chelsea to sign either this January or next summer.
Marco Verratti
The tenacious PSG midfielder has been a long-time target for the Blues and despite the Parisians poor first half to their campaign, Verratti has been a key player in the team.
Verratti is the midfield maestro for his side, taking the tempo of the game to his own hands (or feet). The Italian has performed brilliantly in his 13 appearances this season, scoring two goals from the deep-lying playmaker’s role.
Looking into the stats, the 24-year-old has even completed a better pass-completion rate than Chelsea’s midfield duo Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas. Verratti has created 15 chances in the league with a 88.5% pass-completion rate, comparing to Matic’s 88.2% and Fabregas’s 84.8%.
Paris Saint-Germain’s poor run in the Ligue 1 has caused some problems to the squad harmony. The Italy international got into a fight with the team manager Unai Emery after being subbed off on the hour-mark against Marseille. If there’s ever going to be a chance for Chelsea to sign the midfield dynamo, now’s their best shot.
Verratti is also a very familiar face for Antonio Conte, who managed the player during his time in the Italy’s national side. If Chelsea can agree the right price with PSG, a move for the player could happen as early as this January.
Radja Nainggolan
Antonio Conte’s top-target last summer decided to stay at AS Roma for this season, but as things stand, anything could happen in the coming weeks and months.
Radja Nainggolan, the midfield powerhouse would be a perfect fit to the physical English Premier League and Conte’s two-man midfield. The Belgian has the ability to decide a game in a heartbeat, either giving a hand in the defence or in the support for the team’s offense.
The 28-year-old broke the silence over the Chelsea links by insisting to have no means to leave the Serie A side this winter. However, that shouldn’t stop the Blues from making a bid for the player, and if not in January, there’s a great chance for a move to happen next summer should Chelsea qualify to the Champions League (and Roma not).
Nainggolan has made 17 appearances this season scoring three goals and assisting once. Defensively he has also been consistent winning 52% of his attempted tackles and making 13 interceptions so far.
Arturo Vidal
Some might have expected James Rodriguez to feature on the list, but as long as Conte prefers to use the flawless 3-4-3 system for his side, there’s no full potential in the Real Madrid misfit.
But if someone has that needed potential, that has to be Conte’s former player Arturo Vidal!
The 29-year-old has been a key member in Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munchen side since signing from Juventus in 2014 and has started 14 games in the league this campaign.
The Chile international has scored one goal and created eleven chances for his side. Vidal also maintains a brilliant 90% passing completion rate, which is even higher than N’Golo Kanté’s rate of 89%.
According to reports Chelsea have shown major interest on the player and he’s also keen to look for a new challenge either this January or at the end of the season. It’s believed that Bayern wouldn’t be standing on the player’s way should he seek a move to another club, as Joshua Kimmich and Renato Sanchez are already pushing to replace the ex-Juve man in the Bayern line-up.
That concludes our top three listing for the potential replacements for Oscar at Stamford Bridge. Other linked midfielders like Geoffrey Kondogbia, Diego Laxalt and Ruben Neves would also be adding some good depth into the Blues side, but might not be qualifying for a key role under Conte’s Chelsea team.
