With Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi all ahead of him in the pecking order, is it time for ‘The Ox’ to leave the Emirates?
49. That is how many Premier League starts Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has managed since joining Arsenal five years ago. Shocking isn’t it?
The barnstorming wideman arrived at the Emirates from Southampton at the age of just 17 in 2011, mirroring the career path taken by his Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott. And, like his Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s prodigious talent has been undermined by consistent injuries and rather less consistent form.
Furthermore, the addition of two established world stars in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, plus the emergence of Alex Iwobi (below), have made it increasingly difficult for the 23-year-old to break into Arsene Wengers’ first-team plans, though an impressive cameo in Saturday’s 3-2 win against Swansea offered a timely reminder of his qualities.
And ‘The Ox’, who admitted that being left out of Sam Allardyce’s first and only England squad was a “wake up call” according to the Independent, has now suggested that he may need to look elsewhere to kick-start his career.
“I’d be lying if I sat here and said it hadn’t crossed my mind that I need more game time. I’m not happy when I’m not playing,” Oxlade-Chamberlain revealed on Goals on Sunday.
“There is going to come a time in my career, and I think I’m approaching that time, where I do need to be getting more regular football but my focus completely and utterly now is on playing for Arsenal and still trying to break into the team when I get the opportunity.”
The powerful winger could do worse than to consider a temporary spell away from the pressure cooker of the Emirates, a la Jack Wilshere, in order to rediscover his form and confidence after a stop-start couple of seasons.
There would surely be no shortage of takers for a player viewed as the future of English football not so long ago. And, if Twitter is to be believed, many Arsenal fans would quite gladly wave him off.
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