Willian and Luiz ask Oscar to sign for Arsenal – Should the Gunners get him?
The Brazilian contingent at Arsenal is growing and current members of the squad, Willian and David Luiz have asked Oscar to join the club, according to Fox Sports (h/t Metro).
Willian joined Arsenal on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expired and another Brazilian was added in the form of Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille (Sky Sports). Luiz, on the other hand, joined the Gunners last season.
Profile
Oscar plays for Shanghai SIPG. The 29-year-old Brazilian started his youth career at Uniao Barbarense in 1998 and moved to Sao Paulo’s youth setup in 2004.
There, he progressed through the youth teams and was finally given a run in the senior team in 2009. He played 14 games for Sao Paulo before being sold to Internacional. It was at Internacional that Oscar showcased his best abilities and truly caught the attention of the big clubs. He made 50 appearances for Internacional, scored 16 goals and assisted 16.
Chelsea came calling in 2012 and Oscar made the switch to Europe. Oscar established himself as one of the best playmakers in Europe and became a regular starter for the Blues. He even managed to displace Juan Mata, who was Chelsea’s main creative force.
In four and a half seasons for the club, Oscar produced fantastic numbers. In 203 games he scored 38 goals and 37 assists. In 2017, he made a rather premature exit from Europe as he joined Shanghai SIPG. His lucrative move has gone quite well as he has scored 44 goals and 73 assists in just 132 games.
Oscar is also pretty experienced for his country, with 48 appearances and 12 goals to his name (source – Transfermarkt).
Why Oscar would be a smart coup for Arsenal
Arsenal are in the process of rebuilding their side. Currently, they are on the hunt for a midfielder. While reported targets like Houssem Aouar and Thomas Partey look like much better prospects, a player like Oscar would represent a shrewd bit of business.
The player has more than 100 Premier League games to his name and still has a few years of top-flight football left in him. He could be a good creative force behind the likes of Aubameyang, Pepe and Willian.
Verdict
Yes, Oscar hasn’t played in Europe for quite a while and it might look like a huge risk to bring him back to the Premier League. But he has all the qualities to thrive in a league he bossed around previously.
However, any transfer would be difficult given the length of his contract at Shanghai as the player himself said. Barring all that, Oscar would definitely be a coup for Arsenal if they can manage to work some sort of deal for him.
