#2 Oscar
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Two seasons ago, Oscar was the darling at Stamford Bridge. Given the impetus to be the creative centerpiece over the likes of Juan Mata and Willian, he was ready to step up from being a Brazilian wonderkid to a world class playmaker.
Instead, lack of consistency has derailed those visions. The manager who entrusted him with the freedom, Mourinho, has since swapped London for Manchester after his sacking and the manager at the helm currently, Antonio Conte, doesn’t necessarily have the same expectations from Oscar. So far this season, Chelsea have gone from astoundingly poor against Arsenal to majestic against Manchester United.
That transformation has been due to the efforts at changing the formation and tactics by Conte. Coinciding with it is the demotion of Oscar. He began the season with five uneventful starts and has since played just 10 minutes over the course of five games, a run that also included a leave on compassionate grounds.
Akin to de Bruyne, Oscar needs a fresh environment to showcase his talent and gain some much-needed confidence as well. The likelihood of a loan move is significantly low, as Oscar and Fabregas are the only two experienced options in the middle of the park that could be introduced from the bench.
If a loan move is in fact sanctioned, it would be difficult to see a mid-table English team getting the signature. Instead, he should target a team that should be angling for a top four or top six league position and are in dire need of creativity.
Inter Milan and Schalke are ideal, as they both languish in their respective leagues at the 12th position but have the potential to aim much higher. Both the clubs have recently filled their squads with immense talent with acquisitions like Brael Embolo at Schalke and Joao Mario at Inter Milan. And with a core of young attacking talent, both the clubs offer a good challenge for Oscar to bring experience and mature into a world class talent.
Ideal destinations – Inter Milan and Schalke
