IT'S never a statement that those who are only satisfied by new faces want to hear. And it’s a phrase that regularly stirs the most cynical into accusations of club PR. So when Jurgen Klopp described fit again Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – bought from Arsenal two years ago for £35million – as a “new signing” you could almost hear the groans.
Yet, as Liverpool’s quiet transfer window continues to underwhelm many, in Chamberlain’s example, Klopp could be making a valid point when using a somewhat hackneyed phrase.
In a season when The European Cup was held aloft at its outcome, Oxlade-Chamberlain was left on the outside looking in when it came to game time after a year out recovering from knee ligament damage sustained in a challenge on Roma’s Aleksander Kolarov in the Champions League semi-final of 2017-18.
He clocked up only 19 minutes in two substitute appearances in the last campaign after a long and arduous road to fitness – time that would test the mental character of any human being. The 25-year-old England international, capped 32 times for his country, was open and honest about the grind, detailing how even hitting an inaccurate five-yard pass represented real progress at one point.
Now though, the crutches are gone and the end game is in sight. A sublime pass to tee up Gini Wijnaldum for a goal in the friendly against Sporting Lisbon was a tantalising teaser of the vision and ability to deliver that comes easy to Oxlade-Chamberlain at his best.
This pass from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was absolute FILTH. It will be good to have him back fully fit this year, hell of a player. #LFC pic.twitter.com/LbZm7pNKxV
— Nic Mason (@MrNickMason) July 25, 2019
Meanwhile, off the pitch his personality continues to shine too. He has seemingly stayed happy and focused throughout, and appears to be well-liked in Klopp’s tight-knit squad. Now only niggles, fitness and match sharpness stand in his way of pushing for the first team.
The sneering at Klopp’s statement regarding Oxlade-Chamberlain is understandable from those who are steadfast in their insistence that passing up on a bank-busting big deal – for anyone – represents a missed opportunity post-Madrid and last season’s title challenge.
Yet it’s worth remembering what Oxlade-Chamberlain was bringing to the table before his injury. He’s Klopp’s type of player – energetic, defiant and someone who can set the tone of a game.The season before last he made a not-to-be-sniffed-at 42 appearances for The Reds, scoring five goals – including two in games against Manchester City, one particular memorable for its wonderful execution.
Back then, after the settling-in period that is becoming de rigueur for Klopp signings, nobody was questioning his quality or his contribution. That hadn’t been the case when a deal was first mooted, with questions asked about the fee for a player with only a year left of his Arsenal contract, and of the wages for a player who always seemed nearly but not quite and had suffered a string of injuries.
Klopp and his team clearly saw unfulfilled potential though. And the player turned down more money per week to stay at Arsenal, an extra £60,000 a week of reports at the time are to be believed, plus the advances of Chelsea to head for Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp: “Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain… come on. Fit… if that's not a new signing, then I don't know. To buy him, after the impression we got when he played for us, what do we think the price would be to buy that level of player?!” pic.twitter.com/7neAATpu5T
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) July 24, 2019
Some now will wonder where he fits in after a year of rehab. Yet while the squad has grown and the style has shifted at times, maybe his versatility will work to his advantage. We’ve seen already with James Milner at full-back, Wijnaldum in positions front to back and Fabinho at centre half that the manager cares little for pigeon-holing players to one position.
Even in pre-season, when Klopp has clearly been determined to get minutes in his legs, Oxlade-Chamberlain has played as a winger, a withdrawn striker and an advanced midfielder. It’s a pattern that has played out throughout his career, and while the bulk of his games have come from the right side, he’s also played centrally – advanced and deeper – and on the left. He’s even clocked up four games at right back.
At Liverpool, the story so far suggests the manager prefers him through the middle – and there was many a moan last season that he was a big miss as a player that could knit the play, get Liverpool on the front foot and make things happen when play becomes predictable.
His drive from central areas has been called on in half of his 44 appearances for The Reds, either as a de facto midfielder or slightly advanced. Familiarity with the right side has also seen Oxlade-Chamberlain deployed there, although only fleetingly in an advanced role given who stands in his way for that particular position.
Klopp has also used him a handful of times on the left. It’s evidence that he is clearly a player the manager trusts. On signing Oxlade-Chamberlain, Klopp described him as a “positive” player who is “willing to take risks” and “has the mentality and desire to get even better”.
| @VirgilvDijk really saying Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain different here
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) July 23, 2019
Worries over his full recovery from what was once a career-ending injury aside, there is nothing to suggest those traits have gone away. Patience will now be required in an environment offering little, and team-mates across the positions Oxlade-Chamberlain can occupy will be doing their upmost to make life difficult for him to shine.
A bulked up Naby Keita for one certainly looks like he means business, while the evergreen James Milner is going nowhere without a fight. This, though, is the very circumstance Klopp is keen to create.
“If they are playing, then good. If not, then they have to push the others,” he said. “That's how it should be. That's how good squads work, and that's what we believe in.”
With three years of his contract remaining, the positive words of his manager ringing his ears and a season of opportunity ahead, a fit and well Oxlade-Chamberlain will surely prove to be more than PR spin once the talking stops and the football begins.
