Playing for 90
Fansided

Miralem Pjanic purchase would push Oscar out at Chelsea

By Rucker Haringey

WATFORD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: Oscar of Chelsea is brought down by Sebastian Prodl of Watford during the Barclays Premier League match between Watford and Chelsea at Vicarage Road on February 3, 2016 in Watford, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
WATFORD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: Oscar of Chelsea is brought down by Sebastian Prodl of Watford during the Barclays Premier League match between Watford and Chelsea at Vicarage Road on February 3, 2016 in Watford, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Miralem Pjanic’s arrival at Chelsea would almost certainly push Oscar to another club

New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is certainly going to make a ton of changes to the club’s roster upon his arrival. One of his principal targets appears to be Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic. If the Serie A star does arrive at Stamford Bridge, it will likely signify the end of Oscar’s time at Chelsea.

Reports claim that Roma are resigned to the fact that Pjanic will move this summer and are willing to part with him if they receive a bid in excess of 30 million pounds. That sum, albeit significant, wouldn’t be nearly enough to cause Chelsea any trouble. The club is flush with cash and will spend quite a bit of it to back their new manager in the upcoming transfer window.

Pjanic certainly has the quality to be an instant success in the Premier League, but there is some question as to what position he will play in the Chelsea lineup. I believe it’s safe to assume that he will occupy one of the midfield spots when Conte converts the team to his preferred 3-4-3 formation.

More from Playing for 90

The deployment of the Bosnian international in that role, will likely pair him with Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the Chelsea team. Conte will still have the likes of Nemanja Matic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to provide cover for that pair as well. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for Oscar to see much playing time.

Some fans of the Brazilian might believe he could thrive playing out wide for Conte, but his lack of pace makes him a poor fit on the wing. Look for Conte to employ more direct players with pace to help stretch opposing defenses. In particular, someone like Juan Cuadrado could find himself flourishing in that role if he comes back to the Premier League.

With too much competition in the middle of the pitch, and not enough speed to play outside, Oscar is going to be the odd man out under Conte. That doesn’t mean that he’s a bad player, he’s just a victim of a harsh numbers game at Chelsea. There was enough space for him in a more conventional 4-2-3-1 formation, but he’s a fish out of water for Conte’s new configuration.

Related Story: Chelsea's predicted starting 11 for 2016/17

Chelsea are smart enough to realize this and will look to turn Oscar for a profit this summer. At his age, and level of class, there will still be significant transfer interest this summer despite his lackluster 2015/16 season. Look for the skillful Brazilian to be one of the first casualties of Antonio Conte’s reign at Chelsea.

Home/Chelsea FC