Arsenal set to lose talented young attacker

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is done with Arsenal

Given the impending departure of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal are right to expect significant roster turnover this summer. As if the likely sale of Alexis Sanchez wasn’t bad enough for the Gunners, now it seems they’ll have to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well.

Sky Sports is reporting that the 23-year-old Englishman feels as if his career has stagnated in North London. It wasn’t that long ago that many of the higher-ups at Arsenal regarded Oxlade-Chamberlain as the next great attacker at the club. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out that way.

Instead of forcing his way into the starting XI, he’s found himself on the fringes of this year’s squad. His production has lined up with his status as a bench player. He’s only managed two goals and four assists in his 22 League appearances this season.

That’s simply not enough production for a player who’s been given so many opportunities by his manager. Wenger has committed his share of sins at Arsenal, but he’s given Oxlade-Chamberlain enough playing time to prove his worth.

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There is, however, the question of whether or not Wenger has really helped his English starlet reach his full potential. When you watch Oxlade-Chamberlain play, his talent is pretty obvious. He’s got everything you want to see in an aggressive, attacking midfielder.

You need only look at him to see his physical strength. His body composition immediately leaps out as a positive. When you watch him run it’s clear he has the pace required to be a dangerous attacker too. Even more perplexing, he seems to have significant skill on the ball as well. It’s reasonable to question why his production has never been able to match his apparent skill set.

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Add all of this up, and it’s pretty obvious that a move away from Arsenal is his best chance to kick-start his career. It may be a move that ends up biting the Gunners in the rear though. It’s easy to envision Oxlade-Chamberlain finding his feet with another Premier League club. There’ll certainly be a lot of interest in his services among Arsenal’s English competitors.