Arsenal had agreed a transfer worth £40m with Chelsea.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has rejected a move to Chelsea, after Arsenal agreed to sell the winger/central midfielder/wing-back to the Premier League champions.
Sky Sports reported on Monday that Oxlade-Chamberlain was on his way to Chelsea after they agreed a fee worth £35m. It turns out the transfer fee was actually £40m for a player who has scored nine goals in six years and has a year left on his contract. However, the BBC reported on Tuesday night that the 24-year-old has turned down the chance to move to Stamford Bridge for two reasons.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has rejected Chelsea move & wants to join Liverpool. Bid lower than #CFC £40m expected. Otherwise will stay at #AFC #LFC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 29, 2017
Firstly, Oxlade-Chamberlain reportedly wants to join Liverpool instead. The BBC claim that Liverpool will bid for the player before the transfer window closes on Thursday, but their offer is expected to be below the fee Chelsea were prepared to pay for the Arsenal utility man.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is also said to have rejected the move to Chelsea because they planned to use him as a wing-back, the position he has played in for Arsenal over the past few months. He reportedly sees himself as a central midfielder, a position Liverpool have strengthened for the future with the signing of Naby Keita. The RB Leipzig midfielder will join the club next summer.
If he were to join Liverpool, Oxlade-Chamberlain would have to compete with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum for a starting place in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield. If he doesn’t sign for Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho could also be used in midfield, due to the impressive form of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino in the forward positions.
Arsene Wenger has chosen to use Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey and Mohamed Elneny in midfield instead of Oxlade-Chamberlain. If the England international wants to be a central midfielder, and can’t get a game ahead of Xhaka, Liverpool probably isn’t the place for him.
Oxlade-Chamberlain turned down Arsenal’s offer of a new contract earlier this month, and can leave on a free transfer next summer. If the move to Liverpool doesn’t materialise before Thursday’s deadline, he will see out his contract at the Emirates.
The 24-year-old has played 198 times for Arsenal, and has never cemented a first-team place in his preferred position. So, naturally, he’s on the market for £40m. It could be argued that Oxlade-Chamberlain had a much better chance of playing ahead of Victor Moses at Chelsea than starting ahead of any of Liverpool’s midfielders. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
