Despite some great moments for club and country, I think it is fair to say that the Arsenal and England international star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has largely failed to live up to his early promise and has yet to prove Arsene Wenger right for paying what was at the time a hefty fee for a 17-year old.
Some of this can be put down to the usual Arsenal problem of picking up an injury at the wrong time and this has also been the case in his international career. A big part of Chamberlain’s problem, however, is simply that he has not played well enough, or consistently enough.
It has been a frustrating few years for all concerned and despite still having plenty of time as he is just 22-years old, the Ox seems to have let his struggles get to him and damage his confidence, which has then in turn affected his form. He really needs to break out of this cycle and have a good season for Arsenal and get his England place back.
According to the former Gunner Perry Groves, Chambo has all the attributes to be an Arsenal legend, as long as he just believes in himself. He explains in an Evening Standard report that the Ox could do worse than taking a leaf out of the book of his England rival Dele Alli, whose confidence is one of his biggest plus points.
Groves said, “[Chamberlain] has got everything and if I was him I’d be looking at Dele Alli at Spurs.
“He could be a very similar player – don’t copy him, but when Alli plays for Spurs, he looks like he believes he is the best player on the pitch.
“That’s what Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to get into his game. He’s a very nice lad, humble boy, but when you go onto the pitch you have to believe you are the best player.”
So far this pre-season has seen the Ox play well and hopefully this will give him just the boost he needs for the season to come. But do you think he will fulfill his potential or become another nearly but not quite good enough Gunner?
Bob.