Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will reject any contract given by Arsenal to stay at the club, according to a report from Sky Sports.
The outlet claims that the Englishman is ready to enter the final 12 months of his contract, which means he can leave the Gunners for free at the end of next season.
That should be enough for a number of teams to track the player and Liverpool, along with Chelsea and Manchester City are interested in the 23-year-old utility man.
Even though the Ox has travelled with the Gunners for their pre-season tour of Australia this week, he does seem certain about leaving this summer. However, the London club do not want to lose out on a player for free in 12 months.
This is a complete U-turn according to the reports shared on Tuesday which claimed that Arsenal were confident in keeping hold of the Ox (Mirror). But sources close to the player told Sky Sports that no new contract talks will take place at the moment.
No Starting Role – A Problem For The Ox
Since signing for the Gunners six years ago, Oxlade-Chamberlain has failed to nail down a starting role for the side and that has been a source of frustration for the midfielder. Surprisingly, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best games last season came when he was used as a wing-back, a position he clearly doesn’t see himself playing in the coming season.
Even though we have been linked with a move for the Ox, it is difficult to see exactly where we could use him. While he is a talented player and will give his all, we have a plethora of midfield talent at the club who can do similar roles.
The Ox cannot be seen as a defensive midfielder akin to Naby Keita either, so that option is also out of the window. Additionally, we already have better quality wingers in our side to support our central strikers. So the Englishman will not be guaranteed a starting role here either.
Had we not signed Mohamed Salah, there could have been a case of playing the Ox out wide but for now, due to the lack of first-team chances, it is tough to see where he could play for us, unless Klopp decides to deploy him as a wing-back or as a partner to Jordan Henderson in midfield.
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