He was deemed Antonio Conte’s ’12th man’ and forced out of Chelsea –  but pocketed £134m in the process

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Chelsea have seen a lot of players come and go throughout the years, especially in the Blue Co era, due to the recruitment model. However, it’s fair to say that some exits sting more than others.

The Blues have been ruthless in recent times, signing first-team players before offloading them elsewhere after just a year or two, before buying other young stars to come into the fold.

But this is the Chelsea of new. Whilst former owner Roman Abramovich was still ruthless to an extent, he allowed players to spend longer at Stamford Bridge, carving a name out for themselves and becoming familiar to fans as favourites on the pitch.

Those years under the former owner oversaw Premier League and Champions League success, with managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Maurizio Sarri all being appointed to the helm in west London.

However, it was manager title-winning Antonio Conte that forced one of their beloved out of the club in a revealing interview.

• READ MORE: Oscar says he snubbed Tottenham to make £25m Chelsea move and reveals if he regrets decision

Oscar claims he was ‘forced out’ of Chelsea by Antonio Conte in John Obi Mikel interview

One such player of those famed, adored players was Brazilian star Oscar.

Brought to the club by Roberto di Matteo, Oscar impressed massively in his first two seasons at the club – featuring in an impressive 64 games in all competitions in his debut campaign, with 12 goals to boot.

That was followed up by another three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, amassing a total of 203 appearances for Chelsea with 38 goals to his name. But his final season, under Antonio Conte, wasn’t ideal. He made just 11 appearances in the first half of the campaign before moving to Chinese side Shanghai Port.

Oscar claims he was forced out of the club by the Italian manager, who had dubbed the playmaker his ’12th man’, eventually cutting ties with the London outfit before departing for Asia.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast with former teammate John Obi Mikel, the Brazilian maestro said: “I remember playing against Leicester with another team, and we also won the game. But in his way, you know—the 3-4-3, 3-5-2… yeah, yeah.

“After that, the team didn’t stop winning. So I said to Conte, ‘Why don’t I play anymore? You said you’d put me to rest, but now I want to play.’

Obi Mikel replied: “So you went to him and spoke to him?”, before Oscar added: “Of course, yes. I asked why. I wanted to know if I was playing badly because, in my mind, I was playing well. He said, ‘No, you are playing well. You are my 12th player.’

“He said, ‘You are my 12th player, but you are first-team. You play for the first team.’ But you know, Oscar, he likes to wait. If the team loses a game, he’ll make changes.

“When we were winning, I don’t think he wanted to change. I think we lost against Arsenal, and after that change, we won like 12 straight games.

Obi Mikel then inquisitively asked his former teammate: “So even after the Arsenal loss, he still didn’t play you?”

And Oscar rounded up the story once and for all, after relaying what he told his boss. He added: “Yes. I didn’t have space, so I told him, ‘Conte, I like you, but if I’m not playing, I can go to another team. I like to play, and if you’re not going to use me, no problem.’”

While Oscar’s move may well sting, the Brazilian didn’t come away with it without some benefit of his own.

• READ MORE: Cole Palmer says Chelsea have a teenager who is an absolute ‘baller’ – and it’s not Estevao

Oscar left Chelsea and made millions in the Chinese Super League boom

Today’s financial haven in football is the Saudi Pro League, but before that, the Chinese Super League reigned supreme.

Various players flocked east for mega bucks, including Hulk, former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho, another former Brazilian in Ramires, and European stalwarts such as Marek Hamsik, Axel Witsel and Marko Arnautovic.

Whilst many left quite early into their Chinese tenures, Oscar remained for seven years, playing in 248 games for Shanghai Port and scoring 77 goals in the process.

And, according to GiveMeSport, his £400,000-a-week contract means that he became one of the best players in the world. Eventually, excluding endorsements, he would rack up over £150million in wages, before an emotional return to hometown side Sao Paulo last December on a three-year contract.

No matter how his Chelsea career ended, Oscar can fondly look back at his two Premier League trophies, League Cup winners’ medal and Europa League triumph and saw that he was a success before earning incredible generational wealth.