Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signed for Liverpool in 2017, leaving Arsenal after seven years at the club.
The Englishman is very much a favourite among supporters, not only for his performances, but his vibrant off-field personality and the manner in which he speaks in the press. He’s a smart, articulate, funny lad.
Ox has improved plenty under Jurgen Klopp’s guidance, but would have been even better if he hadn’t have missed an entire year with a devastating injury picked up at the backend of his first season.
According to the 26-year-old, he knew he had to depart the Gunners when he switched position between right and left wing-back in the first game of the 2017/18 season.
He’s always said central midfield is where he wants to be – and under Klopp – that’s where the majority of his game-time comes.
“I wouldn’t say I wanted to leave Arsenal because I didn’t believe we could win,” he told the Standard.
“I just didn’t believe I was going to be able to play where I wanted to play and that was it.
“Me winning the Champions League was obviously a dream come true and a massive bonus but I didn’t feel like ‘Ah, I told you so’ [at Arsenal].
“I feel a lot of my best performances for Arsenal came in midfield but I never played consistently in that position.
“The first game of that season I switched with Hector [Bellerin]. First game I played on the left [wing-back], he played on the right and second game we switched.
“I thought ‘I’ve got to take the risk, I’ve got to take the chance. I don’t want to look back at the end and think I didn’t try.’”
Ox is currently our fourth choice central midfielder behind Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum – but his performances in 2019/20 probably put him above Naby Keita in the pecking order.
Ox was our best player in the last game we played – v Atletico Madrid in the Champions League – and if he could start where he left off when football is back that’d be brilliant.