Moving Target – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool completed one of the more eye-catching signings of deadline day with the addition of Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for an undisclosed fee, understood to be worth £35 million.

The 24-year-old put pen to paper on a five-year deal at Anfield, with his desire to play in central midfield thought to have been a key factor in his decision.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refused to be drawn on on where he plans to use the England international, however:

“I hear a lot of talk about positions but let’s talk about the player; he is someone with really good abilities who always gives everything for his team. A player that is positive and willing to take risks to try and make positive things happen.”

The History

Oxlade-Chamberlain linked up with Southampton’s academy at the age of seven and progressed to make his professional debut against Huddersfield Town in March 2010.

He made 43 appearances for Saints in all competitions, totalling 10 goals and nine assists, before joining Arsenal in August 2011 in a deal worth up to £15 million, including add-ons.

But a combination of injuries and a lack of consistency meant Oxlade-Chamberlain never managed to play more than 1,600 minutes in any single Premier League season.

He was part of the squad that won three FA Cups and played in a number of different positions, although he was primarily used as a right-sided midfielder.

During his six-year spell with the Gunners, Oxlade-Chamberlain registered 20 goals and 32 assists in 198 matches in all competitions.

Capped by England at U18, U19 and U21 levels, making a total of 12 appearances, Oxlade-Chamberlain was handed his senior debut against Norway in May 2012.

He has made 27 appearances for the national team, producing six goals and five assists.

The Prospects

Oxlade-Chamberlain may, at some point, provide back-up Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the wide forward positions, although it’s clear the 24-year-old sees himself operating in central midfield.

His chances of cementing a regular starting role look vital to his Fantasy potential but, as we know, Klopp is currently blessed with plenty of options.

Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum have all enjoyed strong starts to the season, while Barcelona’s failure to prise away Philippe Coutinho from Merseyside leaves the influential Brazilian in the mix at Anfield.

The signing of Salah is expected to see Coutinho shifted into midfield, operating in an inside-left position in Klopp’s preferred 4-3-3 formation.

Adam Lallana, meanwhile, should return from a thigh injury in mid-October, while James Milner is being viewed as a central midfielder this season, with Alberto Moreno and Andrew Robertson vying for the left-back berth.

So while Oxlade-Chamberlain should shake off his recent wing-back role at Arsenal to battle for a midfield berth, he is surely set to be part of a continuous rotation policy.

Klopp demonstrated during the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in Gameweek 2 that he will look to shuffle the pack around UEFA Champions League matches. That is a big concern with the group stages getting underway between Gameweeks 4 and 5.

Last season, Oxlade-Chamberlain enjoyed his best return in terms of assists in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), producing a total of seven.

He averaged a key pass every 48.84 minutes, which bettered both Wijnaldum (69.26) and Emre Can (71.76).

Those numbers suggest that he could provide Liverpool with improved creativity from central areas, although it’s difficult to read too much into the underlying statistics given that he played in such a variety of positions for Arsenal.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has never been a major goalscoring threat.

He is yet to score more than two goals in any single Premier League campaign and only averaged a shot every 55.82 minutes last season. In contrast, Wijnaldum and Emre Can recorded six and five goals respectively.

Only Manchester United (10) have scored more than Liverpool (eight) so far in 2017/18, while Klopp’s side lead the way for shots from inside the penalty area, with 39.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has the energy and thrust required for a box-to-box role and, if afforded the freedom to push forward, his potential for attacking returns should be enhanced.

But with just nine goals and 19 assists over the past six seasons, he has a lot to prove as an attractive Fantasy option.

With the added rotation concerns, and the fact Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino are all in red-hot form, there appears little temptation to risk investment at this time.

Indeed, the upcoming fixtures (mci BUR lei new MUN tot) appear to give us time to assess the situation. Although, as Liverpool proved in the 4-0 win over Arsenal, Klopp’s side can defy the schedule to register goals against any opponent.

Ironically, Thursday’s move may have a greater short-term impact back at Arsenal.

Certainly, the prospects of defenders Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac seem improved without Oxlade-Chamberlain providing competition in the wing-back roles.

Bellerin now appears to have little or no threat for his start, while only Nacho Monreal – who has been playing more as a central defender since Arsene Wenger switched to a three-man defence – offers competition to Kolasinac on the left.

As for Oxlade-Chamberlain, his price tag of just 6.0 in FPL (8.9 in Sky Sports) may eventually see him emerge as a consideration. But at present, our three Liverpool slots should perhaps be reserved for their buoyant front three.

We should also have one eye on a Klopp defensive option given their recent record of seven clean sheets from the last nine Premier League Gameweeks.

Oxlade-Chamberlain got the move he desired but, in Fantasy terms, we remain cautiously optimistic on its impact on our season.

Further Reference

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Wikipedia

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Transfer Markt Page

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain You Tube Highlights