With the season over, Alexandre Pato's currently back in Brazil, but he continues to desperately hope that his time there will be limited to media appearances such as this one SporTV.
"I want to stay in Europe. My head is turned to Europe. I want to play there. But if not, I'll come back here (Brazil)."
But whether that's parent club Corinthians or any of the other clubs who may be interested (such as America-MG), Pato considers them distant second or third options behind the Premier League or even "lesser" leagues such as Portugal, Netherlands, or Russia. China, meanwhile, remains unappealing despite the high wages offered.
"...I told my agent that at the moment I do not want to listen to anyone in Brazil. Since I cannot say yes or no at this point, I do not want to make anyone hopeful or angry. Lets see through July 1 and if nothing happens in Europe we sit and listen to these clubs."
[...]
"In Portugal, you have the example of Jonas ["Pistolas" Oliveira], who was very good, was vying for the golden boot. Hulk is in Russia and is in the national team. Yes, I would consider [those leagues] if some some great club made an offer . China? I would have to think about it. I do not know if it's so safe to play, to live in China. They pay very high wages, but I do not know if this would be the time. We had a proposal from China at Corinthians for 8 million per year. Official."
Pato also tells the story of trying to convince Hiddink to play him a bit more often than the two appearances that the 26-year-old did make for Chelsea, but Hiddink cited his own loyalty to the other players in the squad. It is perhaps unfortunate that after the poor showing against Swansea, Pato was given the axe, but at least he wasn't the only one to receive such treatment from the interim manager (i.e. it wasn't personal).
"I do not regret. Chelsea received me very well. I could play, scored a goal, I showed that I can play in Europe, in England. Because many say that England is very difficult. [But ] I was hoping to play more."
-Alexandre Pato; source: SporTV via Google Translate
No doubt Pato wanted to play more, to try to convince all who had been watching, but you know what they say about best laid plans... Still, there are no regrets, and why should there be? He's taken his shot.
But, as it stands, Pato's a man without a set direction. He has one month left, technically, on his Chelsea loan and then... who knows?