Chelsea are a team that have enjoyed mountains of success in the Premier League and Champions League over the last couple of decades, and a part of the reason why is the club's willingness to move players and managers on when they have served their purpose.
This might sometimes leave fans upset at the prospect of their favourite players or managers leaving, such as in the case of Willian or José Mourinho, but it has kept the team fresh and ticking over.
However, sometimes, a player is sold out of the blue – pardon the pun – and arguably too early.
There are a few examples of this in the past, with Mason Mount being a potential case from just last summer, but there's another player who was sold in the mid-2010s who could've done so much more in Blue, and he even outperformed Raheem Sterling last season.
Raheem Sterling's record at Chelsea
The Pensioners signed Sterling from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 for a fee of around £50m, and it would probably be fair to describe the Englishman's time in west London as mixed so far.
Now, the reason for that assessment is down to the sheer quality of the winger, as in the seven years he spent at the Etihad, he scored 131 goals and provided 95 assists in just 339 games, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.5 games for Pep Guardiola's behemoth.
Appearances
129
339
71
Goals
23
131
17
Assists
25
95
13
Goal Involvements per Match
0.37
0.66
0.42
This sort of return was naturally going to decrease somewhat for a team less dominant than City. Still, the Kingston-born dynamo's nine goals and four assists in 38 games last term was undoubtedly disappointing.
However, the "incredible" ace, as talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him, has looked better in spells this season and has already racked up eight goals and nine assists in 33 games under Mauricio Pochettino's tutelage.
That said, the player who was surprisingly sold by the club seven years ago could outperform him again this season once his campaign kicks off this month.
Oscar's statistics since leaving Chelsea
The player in question is former Brazil international, Oscar.
The Americana-born dynamo joined the Blues in a £25m deal from Internacional in July 2012 and would go on to become an instant hit at Stamford Bridge.
In his first season in England, the then-20-year-old would score 12 goals and provide 12 assists in 64 games, helping the team win the Europa League in the same campaign.
Over the four and a half seasons he spent in Blue, the "fantastic" talent, as he was described by Mourinho, would score 38 goals and provide 37 assists in 203 games while also winning two Premier League titles and a League Cup to go alongside his Europa League.
Then, in December 2016, it was suddenly announced that the talented midfielder would be sold to Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai SIPG – now Shanghai Port – the following January for a club record sale of £60m, which represented a healthy profit on their initial outlay for the player in 2012.
Now, while the influx of talent to the league at the time might have made it more competitive, it was always the hefty pay packet that was the primary motivator in moving to China for Oscar, something he has said himself, "every football player, or every person who works, wants to earn money to help their families."
And boy, oh boy, has he made a pretty penny during his time in China.
Appearances
13
59
203
209
Goals
0
19
38
61
Assists
3
22
37
110
Goal Involvements per Match
0.23
0.69
0.36
0.81
According to a report from the Guardian last summer, the total amount that the former Chelsea ace had earned at that point in his career was around £350m, with the vast majority of that sum coming from the then six and a half years he had spent in China.
However, in his defence, he has been effective in Shanghai, with his return of nine goals and 15 assists in 32 games last season surpassing Sterling's haul in England – granted, the level of competition is hardly the same.
Pochettino must axe Chelsea star who's earning more than Gallagher
The Premier League veteran has been less than impressive for Chelsea when he’s played.
ByJack Salveson HolmesFeb 29, 2024
Ultimately, football is a career for players as much as it's a passion, and while Oscar would've probably liked to remain in European football for a little while longer, the real possibility of making £400m across his career likely makes that wish nothing but an afterthought.