Chelsea’s Antonio Conte will be a happy man going into the busy festive schedule in his first ever season in England. His team are currently at the top of the Premier League table, 3 points above Arsenal in second 15 games into the season.
However, the manager will know that most of the season is still in front of him and that his team will have to continue their form throughout the season to realize their dream of lifting the title.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Pedro and Willian have all been in decent form this season and this has left the fringe players in the squad with no place in the starting XI.
One such player who has fallen horribly out of favor at the Stamford Bridge this season is Brazilian midfielder Oscar.
Having moved to the Bridge from Inter back in 2012, Oscar, became an integral part of the squad in the last few seasons and has scored 22 goals in more than 130 appearances for his side.
He is a neat, smart and gifted footballer who is a joy to watch but his playing style has not gone down well with Conte who has not used him at all in the last few games.
He has been at times used as a substitute this season but at 25, he needs regular game time to turn into a top class player and this has seen him linked with a move away from the club.
His quality is undoubted and this has seen Conte reluctant to sell him away even in the summer when offers were flowing in.
But according to recent reports, Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, one of the richest club in the country, are plotting a loan deal for the midfielder in January.
A loan deal would make perfect sense for both sides as Oscar will get a chance to play regular football and prove himself and if he finds some form, he may well be an important player for Antonio Conte next season, when Chelsea will hopefully be in Europe.
Though Real Madrid’s Isco is also on their wish list in January, it is understood that they may be able to land the Chelsea man with Conte also keen on offering Oscar some playing time.
Chelsea have been knocked out of the League Cup and are absent from Europe. So they will not have too many games to worry about which will also reduce injuries, leaving Conte with his first choice XI for most games.
So it might be time for Oscar to look elsewhere with an option to come back to the Bridge at the end of the season if needed.
Do you think Conte will let Oscar leave on loan in January?