Former-Chelsea midfielder Oscar has touched down to a warm welcome in China after making the £60m switch to Shanghai SIPG.
The 25-year old was greeted by hundreds of excited fans at Pudong airport on Monday, all eager to catch their first glimpse of the former Premier League star.
Oscar, who was handed bouquets of flowers as he stopped to sign autographs, looked overwhelmed as he was guided through the crowds by a club official.
The four-year deal will see the Brazilian earn more than £500,000 a week after agreeing terms before Christmas to team up with former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas at the Chinese Super League outfit.
Oscar has featured just 11 times since Antonio Conte was appointed in the summer, but the Blues manager has admitted he is sad to have lost the player, despite making a £35m profit on Chelsea spent on the player in 2012.
Shanghai SIPG general manager Sui Guoyang believes Oscar's lack of first-team action persuaded the Brazilian international to become the latest big name to head to China.
"Oscar has fallen out of favour with Conte because he has no place in Chelsea's 3-4-3 formation," Guoyang said.
"It played a key part in his desire to leave. He felt terrible to sit on the bench and not be involved. He is so young.
"Oscar wants to come back to the Brazil national team. Some of his compatriots play in the CSL and they still get called up to the national team. So it helped him to make the decision to move to China."
Oscar, who scored 38 goals in 203 appearances for Chelsea, will join a growing contingent of former Premier League players now plying their trade in the CSL, with big-money signings Ramires, Graziano Pelle, Paulinho and Papiss Cisse among those currently playing in China.
In a statement released by Chelsea on completion of the deal last month, Oscar said:"I'm very happy to sign to SIPG. This is an important day for me to join to my new family in China."
0 comments: