Scouting For Conte: 3 Oscar-Upgrades Chelsea Should Look To Sign This Jan

Oscar’s €60million purported move to Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande has finally been wrapped up, with the Brazilian midfielder set to pocket a mind-blowing £400,000-a-week wages at the Asian club.

With that having happened, Chelsea definitely will be missing a talented midfielder who has been of great and quality service since 2012, and here are 3 better alternatives that can be sought after following his untimely Stamford Bridge exit.

3. Diego Laxalt

The 23-year-old Uruguayan can be the perfect man to step into Oscar’s shoes in the Chelsea squad, considering the similar huge talents and qualities both south Americans share.

Laxalt hasn’t had it easy since arriving Europe from Defensor Sporting, having stints at Inter Milan, Bologna, and Empoli before settling down at Genoa where he has quickly established himself as a regular starter.

The versatile Laxalt isn’t only capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, he also is at home on the left side of the midfield, and can be deployed deep in a defensive midfield role.

He has been deployed primarily on the left wing since arriving at Genoa this summer, and has made 17 Serie A appearances, with a goal and 2 assists to his name. Laxalt has also created an additional 20 goalscoring chances.

While Oscar has been berated for his lack of defensive capabilities, evident in his struggles when deployed as a box-to-box midfielder under Conte earlier this season, his fellow south American is the complete package.

He has averaged 4 defensive actions per game in the Serie A, winning 38% of his tackles and also demonstrating his abilities to get past opponents, having completed 60% of his attempted take-ons.

2. Javier Pastore

The Argentine has lost his place within the PSG ranks due to a lot of time spent on the sidelines, but he would definitely be keen for fresh competition elsewhere.

Reportedly, Chelsea are already monitoring the 27-year-old attacking midfielder, and things could be worked out between both clubs as regards a switch in the coming transfer windows, as he is clearly no longer in Unai Emery’s plans.

Pastore has only made 3 Ligue 1 starts, making his other 2 appearances off the bench. However, his unrivalled passing abilities have seen him complete 87% of his passes and create 4 key passes.

Pastore’s additional strengths of playing precise through balls, dribbling, holding on to the ball and contributing defensively with his tackles make him a perfect fit for Chelsea’s midfield.

1. Nicolae Stanciu

The Romania international and Anderlecht player is also a versatile attacking midfielder who can add some depth to the Chelsea ranks considering his enormous talents.

Stanciu is on the radar of a couple of  other PL Teams, due to his excellent form in the Belgian Jupiler League and particularly in the UEFA Europa League, and his days at Anderlecht seems numbered with his growing list of suitors.

The 23-year-old found the back of the net on 3 occasions during the group stages, assisted once and created 7 other goalscoring chances. Apart from his primary position in centre attacking midfield, Stanciu has also been deployed on the left and right of the front line and in centre midfield.