Chelsea have this evening announced the signing of 20-year-old Brazilian Oscar from Internacional for a fee, reportedly in the region of £25 million. The young attacking midfielder, who can play centrally or on the flank, is currently on Olympic duty with his national side, offering us Fantasy managers and Chelsea fans the opportunity to assess his talents in the coming month.
Oscar is the latest acquisition by the Champions League winners who have been quick to flex their financial muscles following their triumph in Munich, capturing the likes of Eden Hazard and Marko Marin. The arrival of the South American playmaker is believed to take their Summer spending well beyond the £50 million mark.
For us Fantasy managers, this latest foray into the market adds further doubt to our selection of Chelsea’s attacking assets. Roberto Di Matteo’s side begin their campaign with a double Gameweek, taking on a trip to Wigan and a midweek home clash with newly promoted Reading. While that pair of fixtures offers obvious incentive for investment, Di Matteo’s first choice lineup is becoming more and more difficult to call by the week.
Chelsea face three league games in the space of six days with a home meeting with Newcastle looming in Gameweek 2; realistically Di Matteo will surely be looking to utilise his options to keep his lineup fresh. It looks difficult, perhaps almost impossible, to find an attacking player who is assured of starting all three of those matches.
We can at least presume that Oscar will take time to bed in and be given a number of weeks to acclimatise before being given a full Premier League debut. However, his arrival in the squad will mean that the uncertainty surrounding our Chelsea selections is set to remain long after the double Gameweek has passed.
We’ll bring you a full Scout Report on Oscar, with more analysis on his likely role and impact in the next 24-hours.
