Oscar: Introducing Chelsea's newest signing

After weeks of speculation, Chelsea appear to be on the verge of signing 20 year old Brazilian midfielder Oscar from Internacional for a fee thought to be in the region of £25 million, quite a considerable price. So is he worth it? Can he be a top player who will play a key role? In this article, I will explore the case for and against.

Oscar began his career at União Agrícola Barbarense before moving onto Sao Paulo, a club whom he played for between the ages of 13 and 18. During this time, Oscar impressed many with his flair and was rumoured to have appeared on many European clubs’ radars while at Sao Paulo. Oscar did eventually leave Sao Paulo in 2009, choosing to move to another Brazilian club Internacional, a move that led to Oscar becoming a prominent member of Brazil’s under 19 team, and later the under 20 team. Oscar’s earliest major success was his hat trick against Portugal in the FIFA under 20 world cup in 2011, and led to scouts from Chelsea and reportedly Tottenham travelling to Brazil to watch the midfielder. Chelsea’s offer came in after a superb 2011 season for Oscar where he scored 13 goals and got 10 assists in 44 games.

So what exactly are Oscar’s attributes and what will he offer to the new look Chelsea? Well, if there is one top player the Brazilian can be compared to, it is none other than Andres Iniesta. Oscar’s passing is excellent and as I’ve already mentioned, he chips in with a few goals as well. Some have also drawn parallels to Kaka and even Chelsea’s own Frank Lampard so he’s quite a rounded player.

As rounded as Chelsea’s latest purchase is, he will enter his new club quite low down in Chelsea’s deep midfield pecking order. It’s difficult to see how Roberto Di Matteo will suddenly decide to play Oscar, a 20 year old from Internacional above the likes of Raul Meireles, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, and Ramires amongst others. Fellow new arrival Marko Marin will also be expected to feature more regularly due to his superior stature before joining Chelsea. Oscar will undoubtedly have to work for and earn his potential spot in Chelsea’s team next season.

One question that remains on the lips of most Chelsea fans is will Oscar make an impact this season or will he be confined to only games in the early rounds of the league cup. Well it’s difficult to say for sure, but I believe Oscar is ready to play quite regularly. Some would say that Chelsea will keep their exciting new talent on hold until they are sure he’s ready to become a regular starter like they have done with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Josh Mcceachran but I believe due to Oscar’s flair, Chelsea will really benefit from Oscar’s talent. So please Roberto, give Oscar a chance like Andre Villas Boas did last season with the promising Oriol Romeu but didn’t with Romelu Lukaku. You may reap the benefits of the £25 million man.

Should Chelsea buy Hulk?

Due to the departures of Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba this summer, Chelsea only have  three centre forwards in their squad at time of writing. These three consist of Daniel Sturridge, Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku, which could get cut to two if Lukaku goes out on loan like many are recommending. There is no question that Chelsea need another striker, but is Hulk the right man to buy? In the following article, I’ll be looking at the Brazilian striker’s positives and negatives.

Hulk, whose real name is Givanildo Vieira de Souza joined FC Porto in 2008 and from very early on in his time at Porto, he set Portugal’s primiera Liga alight, and by the end of his first season at the club, he was firmly established as one of Porto’s most important players. Despite serving a four game ban during the 2009/10 season for his part in a tunnel brawl during Porto’s match with rivals Benfica, Hulk’s continued to impress, with the forward scoring 10 goals and getting 11 assists in 31 matches. The 2010/11 season saw Hulk’s stock rise dramatically with the Brazilian forming a superb partnership with Colombian striker Radamel Falcao. The dynamic duo of the livewire Falcao and the powerful Hulk went a long way to helping Porto secure a Europa league and Primiera league double.

The season just gone however has undoubtedly been Hulk’s best and it has had to be due to Falcao leaving at the end of the 2010/11 season. Hulk has bought a great deal of attention to himself due to his numerous excellent performances with him contributing 21 goals and 15 assists in just 38 games. Hulk’s importance to Porto cannot be understated and without him, Porto may well not have been Portugal’s most successful team during this time. His power, presence and determination would definitely give Chelsea a potential replacement for Drogba.

However, despite all his accolades some have accused Hulk of being an average fish in a small pond in the Portuguese league, and that he isn’t good enough to make the step up to the EPL, La Liga or even Serie A at this stage, and it’s easy to see why. After all, Hulk has never scored in a competitive match for Brazil and has only been deemed worthy of playing 13 times for Brazil at a time where his nations aren’t exactly blessed with many strikers. Also, Hulk’s performances against top teams such as Manchester City and Zenit St. Petersburg have been largely underwhelming. Is this really the resume of a £30 million striker?

Conclusion

To answer the question in the article’s title: not quite. Although Hulk has dominated many opposition defences in Portugal, he hasn’t quite done enough on a higher level to justify the rumoured price tag. If Chelsea bought him for £20 million would I be ok with it? Yes, but with financial fair play supposedly coming into play soon, Chelsea can’t afford to through away £30 million on a player who could very well suffer the same fate as the likes of past Chelsea signings Andriy Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo. Instead, I’d rather Chelsea make a bid for a more proven striker such as Radamel Falcao or Edison Cavani.

Five players who could be England's future

After last Sunday's Euro 2012 exit at the hands of Italy, England fans and the English media came to the realization that they aren't quite at the level of the likes of Spain, Germany, Italy and others. Some are even demanding that there are some widespread changes, if not a complete overhaul of the FA and how it runs its operations. However, in this article I'll be going through the players who could turn England's fortunes around in the coming years.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

When the line-ups were announced for England's first Euro 2012 game against France, I like many others was very surprised to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's name on the team sheet. The Arsenal man had a relatively quiet game as England were pinned back in their own half for most of the game and he spent the rest of the tournament on the bench. However, it's important to remember that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still only 18 years old, and he is unquestionably one of England's most exciting young talents with incredible pace and excellent timing. At the 2018 world cup in Russia, he'll still only be 24 years old which highlights the longevity of him. 

Phil Jones

One year ago, Phil Jones signed with then English champions Manchester United from Blackburn with many heralding the youngster as a player with the potential of becoming one of the best defenders in English football in the coming years. The 2011/12 was a mixed one for Jones as injuries as well as uncertainty over whether he was best as a right back or a centre back became an issue for him. In my opinion, his immense physical presence means he's best at the heart of the defence but can be a makeshift right back. Due to his leadership, he reminds me and many others of a young John Terry and with some more experience, he could well reach his full potential sooner rather than later.

Tom Cleverley

Just like Phil Jones, injuries were a major factor in him not reaching the levels of expectation placed on him. In the opening games of the season, Cleverley impressed many with his assurance on the ball, silencing many doubters who claimed he wasn't at the standard suitable for Manchester United. Despite the ankle injury that restricted him to just 15 games in all competitions last season, I believe that Cleverley showed enough talent to warrant the hype surrounding his future.

Kyle Walker

In his first full season as Tottenham, the Sheffield-born Kyle Walker was truly magnificent. His superb season was rewarded by him winning the prestigious PFA young player of the year award, as well as earning a place in the PFA team of the year. Sadly for Walker, injury led to him missing Euro 2012, with many saying he would have started most of England's games as opposed to Glen Johnson. But the 22 year old Walker still has plenty of time to feature in a major international tournament and as long as he maintains the form he showed in the 2011/12 campaign he should have no problem getting into England's starting eleven's in years to come.

Jack Wilshere

As England fans watched their own team's miserable performances at the 2010 world cup in South Africa, many of them must have thought to themselves "if only we had a player like Xavi or Iniesta". But many felt they did in the shape of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. The 20 year old had a superb 2010/11 season and famously gave Xavi and Iniesta a very tough game during a champions league tie against Barcelona. However, the 2011/12 one was essentially non-existent due to a multitude of injuries suffered which denied the youngster any chance of getting into England's Euro 2012 squad. Hopefully for both England and Arsenal fans, Wilshere will soon recapture his best form to lead England into the next four or five, perhaps even six tournaments.