On the day that Arsenal travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City, it is the Citizens that are being linked with one of our players this morning. City have been notorious for buying Arsenal players over the past decade, with a number of players including Nasri, Toure, Adebayor and Clichy all switching London for Manchester. City have also signed Bacary Sagna on a free transfer and a number of former Arsenal players have also linked up with the club in recent years.
There has however been a period of time now since the Citizens last came calling to Arsene Wenger and that’s probably because Arsenal are no longer quite as reliant on sales for financial success. City’s big money investment came at a similar stage to Arsenal’s financial struggle, given that we were paying off a whole new stadium. It meant that City looked to capitalise in buying our best players back in the day, but it’s been a while since they’ve snatched one.
Now it seems that big spenders of the Premier League are hovering over the Emirates for talent once again, with Alex Oxlade Chamberlain reportedly the player attracting quite a bit of interest.
The Ox is a fan favourite at the club, but arguably more so for his off the field antics and personality rather than his performances on the pitch. Oxlade Chamberlain has struggled to maintain a regular spot in the Arsenal first team since his 2011 transfer from fellow Premier League side Southampton and he seems to be very much following in the footsteps of another former Saint at Arsenal, Theo Walcott.
This season however Chamberlain has brought a breath of fresh air to his game and to the team. This is his best season yet for goals and assists and although there are times where his game is still frustrating to many, I think he’s really beginning to grow into the side this season. With Alexis having moved from the wing to a striker role, it means there are more opportunities available on the wing. Ox can now utilise his talents in a position he is comfortable in, rather than being placed in various positions on the pitch.
The report today is suggesting that City are considering a £25 million move for the Englishman, but I really don’t think it would be wise for Arsene Wenger to accept such a bid. There were rumours during the summer that the club were looking to loan Chamberlain out for the season, or even offload the player altogether, however it was Joel Campbell that took that knock instead. Now however Chamberlain is flourishing in the side and although that doesn’t mean that he’s going to continue on to become a great for Arsenal this season, I think it would be wise to keep him in the side for as long as he’s performing as well as he is.
AH