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SIPG nets Oscar for Xmas
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SHANGHAI SIPG received some Christmas cheer yesterday afternoon as Andre Villas-Boas’ team officially announced the signing of Chelsea’s Brazil midfielder Oscar.
Neither clubs revealed the transfer fee, which is reportedly about 60 million pounds (US$73.5 million). The amount, if confirmed, would break the Chinese Super League’s transfer record, also held by SIPG, when it signed Oscar’s compatriot Hulk, who joined from Russia’s Zenit St Petersburg last year for 55.8 million euros (US$58.3 million).
The duration of Oscar’s contract was also not revealed.
“This is an important day for me to join my new family in China,” the Brazilian sent his greetings through a video to fans. “I cannot wait to meet you and help the club win titles.”
SIPG players are taking a few days off following the first phase of the team’s winter training. They plan go to Doha, Qatar, on January 3 for the second phase of training as they prepare for their AFC Champions League qualifier scheduled for February 7.
The club’s statement said that Oscar would arrive in Shanghai “soon” to complete his physical.
SIPG hopes that the Brazilian trio of Oscar, Hulk and Elkeson, for whom the club has paid a total transfer fee of more than 140 million euros, will help coach AVB achieve its goal of winning at least one championship — CSL, Chinese FA Cup or the ACL — in the new season.
The big-spending CSL does not lack big names, but the 25-year-old Oscar will be one of the few — fellow Brazilians Ramires 29, and Alex Teixeira, 26, being the others — who has chosen to come to China at the peak of his career. After failing to win a starting spot in Antonio Conte’s team, the erstwhile Internacional player has followed in the footsteps of an old acquaintance, former Chelsea boss AVB.
He will look to impress Brazil national team coach Tite with his performances in the CSL, similar to what Beijing Guo’an’s Renato Augusto and Shandong Luneng’s Gil have been doing.
Oscar is likely to take over the playmaker role from SIPG’s long-time icon Dario Conca, who picked up an injury in the latter part of last season.
The midfielder, who scored 38 goals in 203 appearances for Chelsea, lifted the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League titles during his 4-1/2-year spell at the London club.
As well as Asia’s record signing, Oscar will also become Chelsea’s biggest sale, beating compatriot David Luiz’s 50-million pound move to Paris Saint Germain in 2014.
Oscar is reportedly set to become the highest paid player, earning about 400,000 pounds a week. However, he could soon be eclipsed by Carlos Tevez when the Argentine puts pen to paper on a contract with SIPG’s rival Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, with the striker reportedly set to earn 615,000 pounds a week.
SIPG finished third in the 2016 CSL season, 12 points behind champion Guangzhou Evergrande and five behind big-spending Jiangsu Suning.
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