It’s been five years since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made a £15 million move from Southampton to Arsenal, and it’s fair to say, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. A little more than a week ago the Englishman left the Emirates to join Liverpool in a fee worth £35 million, and he needs to finally show everyone what all the fuss was about.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Must Stop Being Promising
Many will have been surprised to see Oxlade-Chamberlain leave Arsenal, having finally nailed down a spot in Arsene Wenger’s team over the past few months. He played a total of 29 times for the Gunners in the Premier League last season, the most he had managed since his move to the club. In the latter months of the season he became a key figure in the right-wing back role, and was crucial in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph.
It became clear however that Oxlade-Chamberlain was desperate to be given a chance in the centre of midfield, and he obviously felt he wouldn’t be given that opportunity at Arsenal, or Chelsea, who he turned down in favour of a move to Anfield. Even then it could be argued that he will struggle to find a space in the Liverpool midfield, with Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum in good form for the Reds, and Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho yet to return.
The 24-year-old has also still got to prove that he is capable of playing in that centre midfield role at a top club. Wenger rarely gave him an opportunity in the position at Arsenal, and given his lack of responsibility when it came to tracking back and doing the defensive side of the role, it is easy to see why.
Statistically, his Premier League record is very poor, having scored just nine goals and provided only 14 assists in 132 league games. Given the reputation that he had when he moved to the Emirates six years ago, he just hasn’t done enough.
A move to Liverpool gives him a chance to start again, and at 24, he still has time to reinvent himself as a player and reach the potential he has promised for many years, as this is likely the final chance that he will be given at a top club.
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