In a move, that was case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ once the summer transfer window closed, Philippe Coutinho achieved his dream transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona for £142 million, leaving Liverpool bereft of a creative genius in the midfield, or did it?
On transfer deadline day in August, Liverpool swooped in and signed Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain from Arsenal for £40 million. A fee considered outrageous by many due to what has been an underwhelming Premier League career for the once promising Southampton product. After a tough start to life at Anfield, which was limited by sporadic substitute appearances, recent performances have indicated that he is finally beginning to click as a member of the Reds’ midfield.
He looks a different player during his performance against Bournemouth in a resounding 4-0 win compared to how he looked against Leicester when Liverpool fell to a 2-0 defeat in the League Cup.
He was Man of the Match in the Bournemouth game and since then, he has kept a high standard with his play on the pitch, finding the net against Swansea and most recently against league leaders Man City. It is this performance which is perhaps an early sign of the potential he has to be Coutinho’s successor.
He went toe to toe with arguably the best midfield player, maybe even the best player, in the Premier League; Kevin De Bruyne, and came out on top. His surging run in the opening stages of the game ended in an excellent low finish into the bottom corner and from then, his performance got better.
He delivered more crosses than any other Liverpool player and had more successful take-ons than anyone else. Alongside Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum, he kept a dangerous City midfield quiet which went a long way to stifling their attack.
Under Arsene Wenger, Oxlade-Chamberlain failed to adapt to the Frenchman’s composed style of play and slow build up. Under Klopp, he has flourished in the quick, high press, counter attacking style that the German has implemented in his time at Anfield.
He suits this style much better as he is a player full of energy and desire to chase down every ball, exactly the kind of player that Liverpool need in their midfield.
Regular playing time is something that he struggled to get at the beginning of his time on Merseyside but with a gap opened up in the starting XI, he will see far more time on the pitch than before. If he can consistently put in performances like those against Man City and Bournemouth, he will nail down that place.
It is unlikely he will have the same impact Coutinho did when a Liverpool player and the Reds will be hard pressed to find anyone who will. Oxlade-Chamberlain is full of untapped potential and all the tools are in place for him to succeed in the current Liverpool team.
He could free up a lot of money for Liverpool if they don’t have to go out and sign a replacement for the type of money Coutinho went for and that could allow funds to be spent to improve a back line in dire need of improvement.
