da betobet： Southampton have been linked with Liverpool ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recently, and the midfielder could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.
What’s the word?
da cassino： According to talkSPORT, the Saints are keen on signing the 27-year-old on loan from Anfield a decade on from his St Mary’s exit.
The England international left Southampton as a 17-year-old to sign for Arsenal and has accumulated 209 Premier League appearances with the Gunners and Liverpool, during which he has managed 17 goals and 27 assists.
He has also earned 35 caps for his country and would have perhaps had plenty more if it were not for the terrible injury problems he has endured in his career.
Whilst he has recovered from the knee injury which kept him out for the majority of last season, it seems as if he will be a bit-part player in Jurgen Klopp’s side in the upcoming campaign, so a strong loan spell at Southampton could be a good move for both clubs.
Would Oxlade-Chamberlain be a good signing for Southampton?
During his time at St Mary’s, Oxlade-Chamberlain made 43 appearances, contributing an impressive 10 goals and nine assists from midfield, so he would surely be welcomed back with open arms by Saints fans.
Although you could argue that Southampton are already well-stocked in midfield and out wide, with the 27-year-old unlikely to break up a partnership of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, he has shown during his time at Liverpool that he is capable of being a top-quality Premier League player when fit and on form.
Unfortunately for Oxlade-Chamberlain, those occasions have been few and far between because of his injury problems, but then it is unlikely that Klopp would allow him to leave on loan if he were producing top performances on a consistent basis.
Back in 2019, Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for the Liverpool midfielder and the quality he possesses after he scored a brace in the Champions League, saying: “You can tell he’s a good team-mate, and Klopp likes him too. He offers something totally different to the likes of Milner, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson.”
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Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a significant enhancement to the Saints’ squad for his dribbling ability, having completed 1.7 per game over the course of his career. In Southampton’s squad last season, only Stuart Armstrong bettered that average with 2.1.
Therefore, if the 27-year-old can maintain his fitness and enjoy regular first team football with a loan move to Southampton, it could be a huge boost to Hasenhuttl, as the Liverpool midfielder would likely add some real quality to the Austrian’s squad.
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