OSCAR
Why's Oscar going to China?
There is one obvious reason why 25-year-old Oscar is switching the Premier League for the Chinese Super League: finances. The £60m transfer fee works out as a £35m profit for Chelsea on what they spent on the player in 2012. It was an offer too good to turn down.
The player is reportedly set to earn an astronomical £400,000 per week. Not bad work if you can get it.
But there is also an on-field factor for Oscar. He's found himself on the fringes of Antonio Conte's plans this season, making just five starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season. He'll be a first-choice pick in Shanghai, while his Brazil team-mate Paulinho has shown it is possible to revitalise your career in the Far East, following his struggles in England.
Who will Oscar be playing with at Shanghai SIPG?
While a transfer to China may seem like a big culture shift for Oscar, there will be a few familiar faces at his new club.
Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas - who left the Blues five months before the player arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2012 - is their manager. He took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson in November (Eriksson is still in China but at second-tier Shenzhen FC).
Oscar's Brazil team-mate Hulk - who was signed from Zenit St Petersburg in June for £45.7m - is the club's star striker.
In the Chinese Super League clubs are restricted to four foreign players and one player from another Asian country. Shanghai SIPG's other international players are Argentinean midfielder Dario Conca, Ivory Coast youngster Jean Evrard Kouassi and South Korean Ju-Young Kim.
They also have China internationals Yan Junling, Fu Huan, Sun Xiang, Yu Hai, Cai Huikang and Wu Lei in their ranks.
Are they any good?
Shanghai SIPG have risen to become one of the strongest teams in the Chinese Super League - and they have big ambitions.
Eriksson was replaced after the 2016 season, despite taking the 2015 runners-up to a third-place finish and reaching the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.
The club won China's third-tier title in 2007 and the second-tier in 2012. They're now firmly established among the elite.
Where does their money come from?
Shanghai SIPG's big spending is fuelled by Shanghai International Port (Group), who run the Port of Shanghai. It's among the top 50 companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Government own 61 per cent of the company.
Who will Oscar be playing against?
Luiz Felipe Scolari's Guangzhou Evergrande - the 2016 champions - will be among Shanghai SIPG's main rivals for the 2017 crown and they have former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho and ex-Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez in their ranks.
Former Chelsea stars Demba Ba (Shanghai Shenhua), Ramires (Jiangsu Suning) and Gael Kakuta (Hebei China Fortune) are also in the Chinese Super League. So too are former Newcastle duo Obafemi Martins (Shenhua) and Papiss Cisse (Shandong Luneng), and Italy striker Graziano Pelle (Shandong Luneng) who was playing for Southampton this time last year.
One-time Arsenal forward Gervinho, Stephane Mbia (both Hebei China Fortune) who was at QPR, and previous Liverpool target Alex Teixeira (Jiangsu Suning) also play in the league.
Oscar could also come up against another former Premier League star, should Carlos Tevez complete his big-money move. The ex-Manchester United and Manchester City striker is set to become the world's best-paid footballer on £615,000-per-week at Shanghai Shenhua, according to reports.
What other players could go to China in the transfer window?
As well as Tevez, other players linked with big-money moves to China recently have included John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Alexis Sanchez.
While there is still yet to be a key player from one of the Premier League's title contenders to make the move, Chelsea boss Conte has described the finances in China as a threat to clubs worldwide.
With big money on offer, Chinese Super League clubs will be significant players in the upcoming January transfer window.
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