Topic: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

[Jookie]

Before the World Cup it's something like a game every 3 - 4 days. Given Thiago, Henderson and Milner are the wrong side of 30, I personally think it would be daft to let him go, unless one of the 'kids' is ready to step up.

It's interesting that everyone is focused on the age of our midfield and worrying about intensity of games.

I took a look at City and Chelsea's midfield options for next season and their current ages. Both as a collective and as the 1st choice 5 options.

Manchester City

De Bruyne        31
Gundogan        31
Rodri                26
Bernardo Silva  27
Philips              26
Foden               22
Palmer              20

Overall average age   = 26.1 years
Top 5 options average age = 28.2 years

Chelsea

Jorginho   30
Kovacivic  28
Kante       31
Mount      23
Gallagher 22
RLC          26
Barkley     28
   
   
Overall average age   = 26.9 years
Top 5 options   average age = 26.8 years

Liverpool

Henderson 32
Thiago       31
Fabinho     28
Keita          27
Jones         21
Milner        36
Elliott        19
AOC          28
   
Overall average age   = 27.8 years
Top 5 options   average age = 27.8 years

We have the oldest average age for our midfield group. But we have the biggest depth in terms of numbers. If you look at the primary 5 choices (and this is a guess for who that would be) then our average age for midfield is similar to City's.

So I suppose my question is why will Thiago and Henderson's legs be run off this season but Kante's and De Bruyne/Gundogan's won't? Is there any more reliance on Henderson and Thiago than De Bruyne and Gundogan as a pair.

I think we are a Milner switch for a younger midfielder away from having a very similar age profile in midfield to City. That's the literally the switch City have just done with Phillips for Fernandinho.

[BER]

Either he's so crocked no one is bidding for him or he's decided to leave on a free.

[Henry Gale]

Either he's so crocked no one is bidding for him or he's decided to leave on a free.

I'm guessing no one has come in for him, If they did he would have been sold by now.

[JackWard33]

I'm guessing no one has come in for him, If they did he would have been sold by now.

There’s a quite literal 2 months left in the window

[RedForeverTT]

Quite a contrast with Minamino with number of clubs interested.

Ox is now a shade of the player we signed. I think we will have to accept that it is a £40m write off at the end of the season.

[El Lobo]

Quite a contrast with Minamino with number of clubs interested.

Ox is now a shade of the player we signed. I think we will have to accept that it is a £40m write off at the end of the season.

You know thats not how it works, right? Like if Bobby leaves at the end of this season, its not a £30 million write off either.

[jepovic]

Quite a contrast with Minamino with number of clubs interested.

Ox is now a shade of the player we signed. I think we will have to accept that it is a £40m write off at the end of the season.

Ox is also earning far more than Minamino, and I dont think anyone is willing to match his current contract

[Henry Gale]

There’s a quite literal 2 months left in the window

Yeah late in the window someone may bid £5m-£10m and I think the club will accept that.

[Knight]

Milner isn't 7th.

He's after Hendo.

It all depends on what system we play also.

If we play 2 in midfield sitting then you would go with Fab and Thiago with Hendo & Milner as main back up.

If you play 3 in midfield it would be Fab, Thiago and Hendo with Milner & Kieta/ Jones as back up.

If you play 2-3-1 then you would say it Fab, Thiago and either Eilliot, Carvalho, Ox as the main AM.

There’s a very clear main 4 judging on the 2nd half of last season and Milner isn’t in it. Keita was pretty close to first choice at points. You might argue Milner is ahead of Jones and Elliott but I really hope he isn’t this season. If he is we’ve had a shocker failing to bring in a new CM. Amongst other things it would indicate a real lack of faith in Jones and Elliott.

[SamLad]

There’s a very clear main 4 judging on the 2nd half of last season and Milner isn’t in it. Keita was pretty close to first choice at points. You might argue Milner is ahead of Jones and Elliott but I really hope he isn’t this season. If he is we’ve had a shocker failing to bring in a new CM. Amongst other things it would indicate a real lack of faith in Jones and Elliott.

Maybe but I can see Millie getting plenty of off-the-bench-6 minutes late in games to give Fab and Hendo a break ..... 5 subs and all that.
Edit: when we're managing the game out.

[tubby]

There's not really been any stories of any teams being interested in him has there?  Think he'll be here till next summer.

[Fromola]

There's not really been any stories of any teams being interested in him has there?  Think he'll be here till next summer.

It just seems like another Lallana/Sturridge thing where injuries have hampered him a lot and he'll see out that last year and hopefully make a good contribution here or there.

[him_15]

I guess the salary is preventing other clubs from bidding him.

[El Lobo]

...or he doesn't want to leave

[Fromola]

That's how we ended last season too - and yet post-AFCON Chamberlain was nowhere to be seen (and frequently didn't make the bench).

We were carrying one too many really after Diaz came in. Mane/Minamino/Origi out and Carvalho/Nunez in balances that back out.

He'll get his chances, albeit sporadically without another injury crisis. The difficulty will be making the bench if everyone is fit but the likes of Carvalho/Elliott/Jones will be in the same boat. One or two will miss out each week.

[Fromola]

I guess the salary is preventing other clubs from bidding him.

If he wanted to leave, he'd leave. He'll be content (like Lallana/Sturridge/Origi) to see out that last year and hope to win more trophies and make a contribution.

Once his contract up next year, that's his top level career over. Lallana's spent the last couple of years in lower mid table. It's not exactly the same excitement even if you do get a more regular game.

[Bread]

It just seems like another Lallana/Sturridge thing where injuries have hampered him a lot and he'll see out that last year and hopefully make a good contribution here or there.

And like Lallana and Sturridge, I think he'll have that one key moment in the season to bow out with (Lallana's equaliser against United and Sturridge's equaliser against Chelsea).

[Ghost Town]

Perhaps Klopp and the players all just hope to get an invite to the wedding. Any excuse for Mo to buy a new hat.

[Perth Red]

With Keita's future being in doubt I think he's going to be kept as backup. Potentially 3 midfielders for every game so you have to have at least 6 to cover the whole season

[Garnier]

He's obviously never been the same player since the injury, even though he's had great performances here and there such as Atletico Madrid (h) in 2020 and Arsenal (h) in 2021, so it's evident that at this point any fair offer for him should be accepted specially with his contract up in 2023.

Ox used to be one of my favorite players so there's always a little bit of faith in me that hopes he can still turn this around and become the player he was for us. His assist vs Newcastle (h) in 2018 always springs to memory as one of my favorite moments of his - i've always appreciated ball carrying & powerful running midfielders, having based my own game around it these charateristics.

In theory, he has good attributes to play that RCM role people keep banging on about - he's a brilliant ball carrier with an insane engine and ball-striking, but seeing the way Klopp's rarely selected him after january i think it's fair to say that we've moved on from trying to get the best out of Ox, even more so when there's guys like Elliott and Jones who currently have a higher ceilling, expected years of contribution and present a better return on minutes invested.

[TepidT2O]

Looked ,ike he was carrying a few extra pounds on return….

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Any news about his injury?

[JasonF]

Any news about his injury?

Hamstring according to the post match interview yesterday. Don't think they know the severity yet but I think Klopp said no chance for him (or Jota) for the Community Shield in 2 weeks.

[mc_red22]

We have to be more ruthless, I don't get what he's still doing here. We need reliable players and he's the opposite of that.

[El Lobo]

We have to be more ruthless, I don't get what he's still doing here. We need reliable players and he's the opposite of that.

Did someone make an offer for him that we’re not aware of?

[Red-Soldier]

We have to be more ruthless, I don't get what he's still doing here. We need reliable players and he's the opposite of that.

I'm pretty sure we would've sold him, if someone had made an offer.

He'll leave when his contract expires.  Like Sturridge, nobody will want to pay any kind of money for someone with his injury record.

Not sure how long he's got left?

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

We have to be more ruthless, I don't get what he's still doing here. We need reliable players and he's the opposite of that.

Unbelievable take. You can't make clubs buy him and you can't make him sign for them. It's also incredibly disrespectful to a player who's done fuck all wrong in his time here - he can't help getting injured.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

Hamstring according to the post match interview yesterday. Don't think they know the severity yet but I think Klopp said no chance for him (or Jota) for the Community Shield in 2 weeks.

Cheers mate. Very unfortunate, really felt for him when he started punching the ground out of frustration. What a shame.

[Dim Glas]

We have to be more ruthless, I don't get what he's still doing here. We need reliable players and he's the opposite of that.

Pretty sure he has a legally binding contract with the club, and isn’t just hanging out with his friends.

[SamLad]

seems like the club needs a new policy about abandoning players who have the fucking temerity to get badly  injured.

[jepovic]

Did someone make an offer for him that we’re not aware of?

We did extend with him 3 years ago, otherwise he would have left now.
But otherwise, we have little choice.
Not everything Klopp touches turns to gold.

[mc_red22]

Unbelievable take. You can't make clubs buy him and you can't make him sign for them. It's also incredibly disrespectful to a player who's done fuck all wrong in his time here - he can't help getting injured.

Is it, really? He's been forever riddled with injuries and we gave him a new contract.

I never said he had done anything wrong but he's done next to nothing right either because he's rarely ever on the pitch.

[JasonF]

Is it, really? He's been forever riddled with injuries and we gave him a new contract.

I never said he had done anything wrong but he's done next to nothing right either because he's rarely ever on the pitch.

I'm pretty sure it's his first injury since pre season 2020. Also it's a hamstring injury not a ligament injury, he'll be back in ~4 weeks.

He's missed a lot of games but mostly because we have better options, we have a great squad.

I expect if we got a decent offer and he wanted to go we'd move him on but he's a good lad who works hard by all accounts so we're hardly going to freeze him out to force a move. That's not Klopp's style.

[Dim Glas]

Is it, really? He's been forever riddled with injuries and we gave him a new contract.

I never said he had done anything wrong but he's done next to nothing right either because he's rarely ever on the pitch.

played a part in the club winning some cups I seem to recall, so I reckon he’s done something right.

I agree though that his time here has been affected because he suffered that bad cruciate injury which meant he missed a long time and since then has never been the same.  Shame for him and the club.

[reddebs]

It's the attitude that's filtered through different parts of our lives.

Ah it doesn't work properly, throw it away and get me a new one.

But it's not perfect, can I change it.

Christ almighty he's a human being not a fucking robot and he was given a contract extension due to an horrific injury that gave him the security of knowing he had a job at the end of his recovery.

He's not some sicknote from work that's always skiving off because he can't be arsed.  Proper fucking Tory behaviour that, saying players should be turfed out the club when they struggle to get regular playing time.

He has a contract, he has every fucking right to stay exactly where he is if that's his choice!!

[Too early for flapjacks?]

I'm pretty sure it's his first injury since pre season 2020. Also it's a hamstring injury not a ligament injury, he'll be back in ~4 weeks.

He's missed a lot of games but mostly because we have better options, we have a great squad.

I expect if we got a decent offer and he wanted to go we'd move him on but he's a good lad who works hard by all accounts so we're hardly going to freeze him out to force a move. That's not Klopp's style.

That's right. He got injured in that later than usual pre -season and was back in the squad in December and has been fit and available since the current hamstring injury. So over a year and half without an injury.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

I'm pretty sure it's his first injury since pre season 2020. Also it's a hamstring injury not a ligament injury, he'll be back in ~4 weeks.

He's missed a lot of games but mostly because we have better options, we have a great squad.

I expect if we got a decent offer and he wanted to go we'd move him on but he's a good lad who works hard by all accounts so we're hardly going to freeze him out to force a move. That's not Klopp's style.

That's actually correct regarding his injury history,  just checked on transfermarkt.

[JP!]

It's the attitude that's filtered through different parts of our lives.

Ah it doesn't work properly, throw it away and get me a new one.

But it's not perfect, can I change it.

Christ almighty he's a human being not a fucking robot and he was given a contract extension due to an horrific injury that gave him the security of knowing he had a job at the end of his recovery.

He's not some sicknote from work that's always skiving off because he can't be arsed.  Proper fucking Tory behaviour that, saying players should be turfed out the club when they struggle to get regular playing time.

He has a contract, he has every fucking right to stay exactly where he is if that's his choice!!

Largely agree with this. It's a dreadful take above.

[dirkster]

It's the attitude that's filtered through different parts of our lives.

Ah it doesn't work properly, throw it away and get me a new one.

But it's not perfect, can I change it.

Christ almighty he's a human being not a fucking robot and he was given a contract extension due to an horrific injury that gave him the security of knowing he had a job at the end of his recovery.

He's not some sicknote from work that's always skiving off because he can't be arsed.  Proper fucking Tory behaviour that, saying players should be turfed out the club when they struggle to get regular playing time.

He has a contract, he has every fucking right to stay exactly where he is if that's his choice!!

Well said

[No666]

It's the attitude that's filtered through different parts of our lives.

Ah it doesn't work properly, throw it away and get me a new one.

But it's not perfect, can I change it.

Christ almighty he's a human being not a fucking robot and he was given a contract extension due to an horrific injury that gave him the security of knowing he had a job at the end of his recovery.

He's not some sicknote from work that's always skiving off because he can't be arsed.  Proper fucking Tory behaviour that, saying players should be turfed out the club when they struggle to get regular playing time.

He has a contract, he has every fucking right to stay exactly where he is if that's his choice!!