According to Sky Sports London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal have agreed a deal that will see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain become a Blue. A £35m fee has been mentioned.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be gutted to see the England international, he has used ‘The Ox’ in all three Premier League games so far this term. After yesterday’s thrashing at Liverpool, Arsenal fans might not be overly concerned to see the midfielder leave the Emirates.

But only last week Wenger was stating just how much he wanted to keep the thirty-five capped England star at his club:

“In all the conversations that I have had, I say that I want him to stay and be one of the big players of the future of this club,”

When the player recently turned down a lucrative £180k a week contract offer you knew his time was up in North London.

The twenty-four year old has plenty of talent and could become a very astute signing for Antonio Conte and Chelsea.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has a creative spark and he offers a versatility that Conte admires in his players. Alex, like all Arsenal players, is technically sound when the ball is at his feet. His passing average last term was at 82% and it’s been up at 84% so far during this campaign. He also possesses gifted close control and can glide past defenders. His direct runs often remind me of a younger Paul Gascoigne.

The midfielder/winger/wingback is also an industrious footballer who will work hard when without the ball, another trait Italian boss Conte likes from his stars.

The attack minded player also has an eye for a goal and he especially likes to get himself a vital goal!

To me, it seems as if Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career has stalled at Arsenal. He, like many others, seems to want a change of scenery and wants to be challenging for the top trophies. That’s why he rejected such a lucrative contract offer.

I think the player himself needs a more structured coach to guide him at this stage of his career. At Arsenal everyone seems to be given a freedom to do as they want. When that works it means an exciting brand of football but when it goes wrong, it goes badly wrong like it did against Liverpool!

At Chelsea, Conte will demand more discipline from the Ox and that will also add more focus in the midfielders game. It has worked wonders for Victor Moses at Chelsea and I’d say Alex has more ability than the Nigerian international.

Chelsea and the Englishman will hope that he can stay clear of injuries. Fitness issues have often came just when the player was hitting good form at the Emirates.

If Chelsea and Conte can get the best out of Alex Oxlade-Cahmberlain, and I think he can, then they could have a fantastic player on their hands who has the potential to make a big impact at Stamford Bridge!

Posted on August 28th, 2017 by scott
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