Oxlade Chamberlain may split opinions in the Arsenal fan base, but could Arsenal be seriously considering letting the English winger go to one of our Premier League rivals?
Over the course of the summer I have seen many call for Arsene Wenger to bite the bullet and call it a day on Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s Arsenal career. Many have argued that the Ox has failed to develop and live up to the potential that surrounded him when he first came to the Gunners, much like his current teammate Theo Walcott. Injuries may have been a part of the reasoning for his stagnation in recent seasons, but it cannot be argued that when he is fit, his inconsistency on the pitch is the main factor for why he doesn’t get a good run of games and why he hasn’t developed to the expected potential.
Chamberlain’s stats for goals and assists are awful for a winger at a club that is supposedly meant to be challenging both in domestic and European completions. If Chamberlain wants to be a regular stater at Arsenal, then he needs to improve on his goalscoring and his creative ability. For such an important spot on the pitch, where goals and assists need to be coming from in order to win matches, The Ox simply just doesn’t cut it.
But even with this in mind, I don’t think it’s time to cut Chamberlain’s Arsenal career, especially not to sell him to Manchester City as the Daily Telegraph is suggesting. The Ox is having a good pre-season, showing promise signs in both the game vs Lens and the friendly against the MLS all stars. The issue is that Chamberlain also had an impressive pre-season last year, but failed to impress over the course of the campaign, so it leaves a question of doubt about whether he will maintain such form for the domestic campaign. There is plenty of competition for places across the Arsenal midfield, so he will have to show that he is the pick of the bunch to maintain a regular spot in the side.
Whatever you think of the Ox, I’m sure you’ll agree that selling him to Man City would be a mistake. The Ox still has potential if he can get his head in the game and I think a loan move would be good for him. My only concern is that even though we have plenty of midfielders at the club, in terms of natural wide men, we actually lack numbers and so I think Chamberlain will get a good run of games if he can remain fit. I really do hope that the Englishman shows us what he is capable of and gets back on track towards reaching his potential, because unlike Walcott, it’s not too late for Chambo at Arsenal!
By AH