Liverpool to offer out-of-favour Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Southampton this January
Frequent injuries and inconsistent performances sum up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s career at Liverpool. The central midfielder joined the Reds in 2017 from Arsenal for a fee of £37m. In 5 years, he has had to deal with a lot of injury issues and due to that, has been unable to cement a place for himself in the starting XI.
His contract at the club expires next summer as per Transfermarkt and the Reds carry the risk of losing a player they invested a lot of money in for free. Hence, they could do with looking for alternatives for Ox this January.
According to Football Insider via Daily Echo, the Reds are looking to offer Ox to Southampton in the upcoming transfer window. That is where Chamberlain started his professional career, graduating from the Saints’ Youth Academy back in 2010, before making his first-team debut the same year.
The 29-year-old is a fan favourite even with his frustrating time at the club. In 137 appearances for the club, the Ox has 17 goals and 15 assists. However, these numbers could have been greater if he had a role to play in any of the 90 games he has missed for the Reds due to injuries.
A contract extension seems the least likely of situations for him now, and a move at this stage is something which would suit both, the club and the player. Nearing 30, he would want to be out there playing as many games as possible, which has obviously not been the case for him at Liverpool.
Next for the Reds
The club could also do themselves some good by offloading an injury-prone player and replacing him with someone who is available for big games more often than not. Taking nothing away from Chamberlain’s abilities, it is just unfortunate that a young promising player could not reach his potential which was on show during his time at Arsenal.
However, the highlight of his career would be the goal he scored against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final back in 2018. Nonetheless, in the scenario that he moves back to Southampton, he could sort of rejuvenate his career at the club where it all started for the player.
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In 43 appearances for the Saints across all competitions before his move to the Gunners, Ox had accumulated 10 goals and nine assists. Hopefully, he has an injury-free career from this moment onwards, as he was one of the best young English midfielders at one point in time.
