Shanghai SIPG and former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has opened up about the possibility of a return to the Premier League. The Brazilian was a top talent at Chelsea but left Europe at the age of 25 to become one of the highest paid players in the world at the time.
It has been six years since his move to Shanghai, for whom he has played 176 times. The 2020 salary cap saw the wages of international players reduced to £2.7 million per season. And the last three seasons have been affected by China’s Zero-Covid policy. But, the 31-year-old remains happy with his decision to move away from Europe.
Oscar opens up on potential Premier League return down the line
‘It had only good results, both financially and in terms of getting to know a new country and football,’ Oscar said of his move, when talking to Premier League Brasil.
‘I think I learned a lot and evolved here [in China]. In the five years that I stayed at Chelsea, I was very important for the team.
‘I left at a time when we were winning a lot of games with [Antonio] Conte. I played the first 15 league games and then I got injured. Then I started to stay on the substitute bench, but the team kept winning and Conte kept it.
‘So I lost space in the team, the opportunity came to Shanghai and I embraced it. I have no regrets. I had a beautiful trajectory there, in my career I managed to do everything I dreamed of and I am also very happy here.’
‘As I left Europe at the age of 25, I always had an offer to return,’ he continued.
‘But nothing that got too close or that I really put my foot down to go back to. As I played for Chelsea for five years, I fulfilled my dream of playing for a big club in Europe.
However, Oscar added: ‘If you paint something in a cool team, of course, we can think about it.’
He singled out the Premier League as his ‘favourite league’, saying: ‘There’s a game similar to mine, a dynamic and very fast game, so it was a league that I really enjoyed playing.
‘If I could go back to the Premier League, that would be really cool. I also like Italy, I have an Italian passport.’
Oscar was close to moving to Brazil last season, but the move collapsed. His contract with Shanghai expires in 2024, and it remains to be seen whether he will choose to return to Europe at that point.
