Liverpool have agreed a £40 million deal with Arsenal for 24-year-old midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool have agreed to a deal for Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain worth £40 million, per BBC Sport’s David Ornstein. The 24-year-old initially appeared to be on his way to Chelsea, but rejected the move on Tuesday, citing his desire to play in midfield.
Oxlade-Chamberlain becomes the Reds’ fourth signing of the summer, after Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson, but the club are reportedly still interested in adding Monaco’s Thomas Lemar and Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain will face a tough task breaking into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI at Liverpool, but will at the very least provide quality depth in both midfield and attack. The German has favored a 4-3-3 since arriving at Anfield, meaning his new acquisition won’t be required to play wing-back, as he has been for Arsenal so far this season.
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Oxlade-Chamberlain could conceivably play in any position in Liverpool’s front six, though he’s most likely to play in central midfield, either side of Jordan Henderson, or in a wide forward role as cover for Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
This is an important phase in the career of a player who felt his development had stalled under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, who were thrashed by Liverpool at the weekend. Klopp is renowned for improving players, and has had a positive impact on the form of Emre Can, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson, among others, since arriving at Anfield in 2015.
The fact Oxlade-Chamberlain chose Liverpool over Chelsea, where he’d likely have a more straightforward route into the starting XI as a wing-back, is an indication he thinks he can make a similar leap. But he still has a lot to prove, especially if his future lies in the midfield role he’s been pining for.