Aston Villa will not target Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer
According to Phil McNulty of the BBC on Twitter, Aston Villa have decided that they will not target Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in this summer transfer window. He has been on the fringes under Jurgen Klopp for quite some time which has seen his future getting questioned recently.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was linked with an exit from Anfield due to the lack of minutes, with Villa having been touted as a potential destination. However, that claim has now been shut down as they have no plans to chase after the central midfielder ahead of the next season.
In any case, this news appears to favour the Reds due to their current stance regarding the Englishman’s future. They want to keep hold of him beyond this summer even though his current contract with them would expire at the end of the upcoming campaign.
Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay?
Despite offering versatility in various positions, the 28-year-old could only muster 1511 minutes of action in the previous season. Oxlade-Chamberlain did have a tally of three goals and assists each during that period, but his game time was close to non-existent in the second half of the last campaign.
We lack a backup option for Mohamed Salah in the right-wing role, which could see Harvey Elliot get pushed to that position just as Klopp did last time around. Even Oxlade-Chamberlain can play there, which could perhaps help him get more prominence in the future.
With Jordan Henderson being past his thirties, he could perhaps be converted as a backup for Fabinho as we have no other senior defensive midfielders in the team right now. With Thiago Alcantara’s fitness being questionable at times, Oxlade-Chamberlain could have chances to prove himself moving forward.
Hence, the decision from Steven Gerrard’s side can be deemed favourable for us, especially when the Reds management has deemed the need to sign a central midfielder, not a necessity this summer.
That could explain why the Merseysiders have no intention to sell Oxlade-Chamberlain in this transfer window, with a new midfielder on the plans only after the next campaign.
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Furthermore, with the new rule change regarding substitutions, we would probably see Klopp using his squad to the full extent, which would help the former Arsenal man get more minutes from here on out.
