Report: Arsenal eye January loan move for UCL winner who’s missed 74 games in 3 years

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Arsenal are reportedly keen on bringing former midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back to north London four years after leaving for Liverpool.

According to the Sun, the Gunners are interested in signing the 28-year-old star on a six-month loan spell. Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled for regular first-team minutes at Liverpool in large part to injuries.

With Curtis Jones thriving in the central midfield and Harvey Elliott emerging as Liverpool’s next exciting youngster, Oxlade-Chamberlain has seen his playing time with the Reds slashed this season. And now a return to Arsenal could be on the cards.

As per the report, Oxlade-Chamberlain has a good relationship with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The duo played together for five years at the club. And with the Gunners set to face a midfield crisis in January due to the Africa Cup of Nations, a short-term fix could be needed.

Indeed, there’s no denying Oxlade-Chamberlain’s quality. After all, Liverpool spent close to £40m for the midfielder in 2017. With the England international originally signing for the Gunners in 2011 by Arsene Wenger for £15m.

However, with Oxlade-Chamberlain earning a reported £120,000-a-week, the UEFA Champions League winner could be a pricey option for Arsenal to consider, especially on a loan move for a position that will only be weakened for a few matches.

Arsenal must focus on other problems that Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t fix

With Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah likely to leave in January, other positions in the squad need more urgent care rather than central midfield, which is fairly stacked even with a long-term to Granit Xhaka.

Moreover, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury problems mean that a loan move to Arsenal could be a total disaster given how frequent players for the north London club seem to end up on the treatment table.

The midfielder has missed 74 games over three years with Liverpool. And knowing the luck of Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain is more than certain to end up injured should he return in January.