Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the toast of Liverpool and Twitter after he signed for the Merseyside last night. The England international completed his £35million move from Arsenal and has agreed to a five-year contract worth £120,000-a-week at Anfield.
The moment the deal was announced, Oxlade-Chamberlain was all over the news. Interestingly, Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol claimed to know the reason behind Ox’s Liverpool move.
Kaveh on Twitter claimed that Klopp sees him as a long-term replacement for James Milner. No one can see the logic behind this because these are two players who are poles apart.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a Liverpool fan when he was a kid. Liverpool see him as long-term replacement for James Milner
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) August 30, 2017
Last season saw Klopp utilise Milner largely as a left-back but that was due to some poor performances by Alberto Moreno. It was more of a temporary arrangement. Now that Moreno has picked up form and that new signing Andrew Robertson is looking good, I don’t see Milner filling up in the near future.
Milner at 31 is still one of the fittest squad members and can cover every blade of the grass every match. His feisty nature and leadership on the ground make him one of the most important players for Klopp on and off the ground.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, on the other hand, was used mostly on the wings and not the coveted central midfield role which is his long-term ambition. His pace and running with the ball make him a worthy candidate to tease the full-backs.
What should enthuse the fans is the fact that Ox rejected Chelsea and a better offer for wages at Stamford Bridge to choose Liverpool. Both Arsenal and Chelsea were willing to offer close to £200,000-a-week but Ox turned it down. Clearly, the lure of London or the wages are not the only factors anymore in the transfer market.
At Anfield, Ox is not going to be a replacement for Milner. Ox might be used as a backup for Salah or Mane, or maybe in central midfield when required. He would be more of a competitor than an outright first team player.
Sorry Kaveh, I think you got this absolutely wrong!
