After being linked for months, Liverpool have finally signed 24-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
A £35 million transfer was agreed after Arsenal had already decided on a fee with Chelsea, but Oxlade-Chamberlain was keen on a move to Liverpool. He may not be the most fashionable signing, but Oxlade-Chamberlain is a great coup and he’ll be a great addition to the Liverpool squad.
With his contract expiring next summer, Arsenal faced the possibility of losing him for free and when he rejected a new £180,000 per week contract they decided to sell. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s move clearly isn’t about money as he also preferred a move to Liverpool instead of Chelsea, with the latter reportedly offering £220,000 per week. The former offered £120,000 per week, apparently. Before even discussing what he can bring to Liverpool, he clearly has the right attitude to become a top player. He rejected much more money to develop his career under Jürgen Klopp.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has also chosen Liverpool for the chance to play in centre midfield, while at Chelsea he would have most likely been deployed at wing-back. He would fit our system perfectly at the centre of the pitch. His pace, dribbling ability and skill will help him settle in quickly in Klopp’s system. He has all the right attributes Klopp looks for in his more advanced midfielders.
Oxlade-Chamberlain also massively helps Liverpool with one of their biggest weakness last season, squad depth. When the games started to come thick and fast and players started to get injured, Liverpool struggled to show the same sort of form they had done in the first half of the season. Oxlade-Chamberlain can play in centre midfield and on the wing, making him a great asset this season with Liverpool competing in four competitions.
Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah are key to the way Liverpool play and if one of them gets injured or needs to be rested, Oxlade-Chamberlain has similar qualities to them and can replace them without disrupting how the team plays. Roberto Firmino is so important to Liverpool when he’s playing centrally, but when Mané was at the African Cup of Nations he had to fill in out wide and neither he or Liverpool play the same when that happens. So, now Oxlade-Chamberlain will provide proper cover out wide when needed.
Another fact that isn’t mentioned too much is signing Oxlade-Chamberlain weakens our rivals. Arsenal were keen to get Oxlade-Chamberlain to sign a new deal as they saw him as a key player and over the last year he has started to get more and more game time. It was clear that Arsene Wenger didn’t want to sell to Liverpool as he didn’t want to strengthen a rival.
Also, some may see the fee as too much as Oxlade-Chamberlain had a year to go on his Arsenal contract. But, in today’s market, who really cares about transfer fees? As long as the manager gets the player he wants and the squad improves, fees aren’t important.
Oxlade-Chamberlain clearly sees his career progressing under Klopp and with his help he could become a top player in near future. His career has stalled due to poor management at Arsenal and he’ll be looking to take the next step at Liverpool.
He fits the Klopp mould, gives Liverpool squad depth in multiple positions and has chosen Liverpool for all the right reasons. Buying Oxlade-Chamberlain was an excellent piece of business from Liverpool.
