Shanghai SIPG’s new forward Oscar has revealed he had to leave Chelsea due to little and no playing time under Blues manager Antonio Conte.
The Brazilian only registered nine appearances during the first half of the Premier League season, and started to miss out on regular football under the new boss at the emergence of new starting lineup allowing only three in defence.
In an exclusive interview with Four Four Two, the £60m-rated star cited living in Shanghai and playing regular first team football as shares important driving forces behind his sudden exit from London to Asia.
“The financial aspect was important, but it’s not all about money,” He said.
“The city where you live is very important. I’m not going by myself, I have my wife and kids, so the city must be nice and Shanghai has all we need. I wasn’t playing that much for Chelsea recently as well. So when I heard about their interest I was just happy to go.
“When these situations happen in football, other clubs show an interest and then you have to decide. There were offers from European sides as well, but things just didn’t work for all parties. Then the Shanghai offer appeared and it was perfect for me, Chelsea and Shanghai.
“Conte is a nice guy. He respected my decision and understood I want to play more regularly. When he arrived in Chelsea, I told him there were clubs interested in me. He said that I was part of his plans and I decided to stay.
“However, things in football change quickly and I lost my place in the team, which is absolutely normal. With a nice project like Shanghai crossing my way I thought it was time to go, and he understood.”
The 25-year-old’s new club Shanghai SIPG comprises of trio Brazilians in attack, including the former Blues forward alongside other the Chinese club marquee signings Hulk and three-time Chinese Super League winner Elkeson.