Latest news with #AlexOxlade-Chamberlain
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Can Berta improve Arsenal's transfer market record?
Over the past few weeks, some of you have shared your disappointment in Arsenal's ability to make money through player sales. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's transfer to Liverpool in 2017, reportedly about £35m, still remains the club's record sale - a figure beaten by almost every other Premier League side. In the past 10 seasons, the other 'big six' teams have received more for a player 22 times between them. Arsenal have made decent money from selling academy graduates, including Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, but their struggles lie in making returns on players who have cost massive fees. Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe were signed for a combined total of more than £170m and all ended up leaving north London on free transfers. More players could leave the club for nothing this summer, with Kieran Tierney's departure already confirmed and midfield duo Thomas Partey and Jorginho currently set to become free agents in June. However, there is hope in the track record of recently appointed sporting director Andrea Berta. While he was at Atletico Madrid, France striker Antoine Griezmann was signed from Real Sociedad for £24.8m in 2014 and five years later was sold to Barcelona for £103m. Atletico then bought him back in 2021 for just £16.5m. Future Ballon d'Or winner Rodri was signed for £16.5m in 2018 and sold to Manchester City the following year for £62.5m, while Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak signed from Benfica in 2014 for just £13m. Can Berta have similar transfer success with Arsenal? Only time will tell.
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Oxlade-Chamberlain bucks trend and enjoys Besiktas boost under Solskjær
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still just 31 years old, which feels very young for a man who made his first-team debut for Southampton when Gordon Brown was UK prime minister. It is just over 15 years since Oxlade-Chamberlain broke into Alan Pardew's Saints squad, aged 16, and after successful and high-profile moves to both Arsenal and Liverpool, plus a trophy haul that includes a Premier League and Champions League title, plus three FA Cups, few can say that Oxlade-Chamberlain has not fulfilled his potential. Yet his exit from Liverpool at the expiry of his contract in 2023, aged just 29, felt a little hollow. Presented with a photo collage after his final Anfield match and photographed on the pitch alongside his fellow departees, Roberto Firmino (to Saudi Arabia) and 37-year-old James Milner (to Brighton), who were both beaming ear to ear, Oxlade-Chamberlain looked a little lost, diffident almost. Where next? Besiktas, it turned out. Turkey, and the Istanbul clubs in particular, have long been a safe landing spot for ageing European-based players accustomed to high wages looking for first-team action, and Besiktas is, in theory, a fine place to play football: sold-out stadiums with passionate fans in a wonderful city and a chance to earn silverware and play European football. And in the first season, 2023-24, that's exactly what happened: Oxlade-Chamberlain made 30 appearances and despite a sixth-placed finish, Besiktas won the Turkish Cup, earning qualification to the Europa League this season. But elsewhere, there have been huge problems for both player and club. In the 20 months that Oxlade-Chamberlain has been at Besiktas, there have been nine managers, with none lasting more than 20 games. Last summer, just 12 months into his three-year contract, Oxlade-Chamberlain was frozen out by the club as they attempted to shift his reported £70,000-a-week wages. The club's general secretary, Kaan Sakul, publicly announced in September that Oxlade-Chamberlain would be cut from the club's Europa League group-stage squad – 'he was the first name to go' – while manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, appointed in July 2024, did not give the midfielder a single first-team minute before being sacked in November. Off-the-pitch, the midfielder's fiance, Perrie Edwards, and his young son remain in Cheshire, with the former Little Mix singer recently admitting the distance has proved challenging. It felt as though Oxlade-Chamberlain's career was tracking along a downward curve that seems to follow so many former wonderkids. Many of England's brightest young players in recent years who broke through as teenagers – Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling, Micah Richards, Phil Jones, Dele Alli, Luke Shaw and Jack Wilshere – have seemed to struggle in the latter part of their careers. Reasons include (but are not restricted to) the vast number of minutes already played, bad luck, injuries, ever-increasing competition, poor advice, a failed transfer or two and other off-field issues. Yet, despite his obvious obstacles at Besiktas, Oxlade-Chamberlain – the 18th youngest player to play for England – now looks to be bucking this trend. Since being given a chance off the bench in early December (the Portsmouth-born player scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Fenerbahce in his second appearance of the season), the midfielder has been ever present, and since the January arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager, Oxlade-Chamberlain has started every league game in a new-ish role of defensive midfield. Besiktas are out of this season's Europa League and 24 points adrift of Galatasaray at the top the Süper Lig, but Saturday's 2-1 win over the league leaders – ending Gala's hopes of an invincible season – show how far the Black Eagles have come in just a few months under their Norwegian manager. Why Solskjær was out of work for well over three years remains a mystery, particularly as his achievements with Manchester United – beating PSG to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2019, a third-placed Premier League finish in 2020, a second-placed finish in 2021 and a penalty-shootout defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final – look increasingly impressive given United's current plight. At Old Trafford, Solskjær was known for fast counterattacking football but the 52-year-old has already diversified his skill set at Besiktas, also using a possession-based system with Oxlade-Chamberlain at the heart of his midfield and even using a strikerless 4-6-0 formation in the win over Galatasaray. Besiktas fans have already taken Solskjær into their hearts. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'These months here have been brilliant,' Solskjær said last week. 'What we've started building really excites me. It feels like a proper family. We're getting closer by the day. There's belief, there's passion. Of course, there'll be bumps in the road – we'll take a few punches to the face. That's football. All I ask from the fans is to keep backing us like they always do.' Now fourth in the table, Besiktas remain in the hunt for Europa League qualification and face Göztepe in the Turkish Cup quarter-finals on Thursday as they attempt to defend their triumph from last season. After a rocky period, Besiktas's season is far from over and despite their own very different journeys to reach this point, the same could be said for both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solskjær.
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Oxlade-Chamberlain extends Truro City loan deal
Truro City have extended the loan of defender Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain until the end of the 26-year-old has played in 27 of the Tinners' 28 National League South games since joining from Kidderminster Harriers in August on a three-month deal, which was extended until the end of this brother of former England and Liverpool player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the son of former England winger Mark Chamberlain has scored one goal this season. "I just wanted to play football and that was the biggest factor in coming here," he told the club website."The gaffer called me the Wednesday before the season started and I said I wanted to play. Nothing has changed and it has felt like a real community, with the fans appreciating everything everyone does."Where we are at the moment, play-offs is a minimum and anything above that would be pretty good. But we are just trying to win every game we play in and see where that takes us."Truro City boss John Askey added: "Christian has been vital to us and it is really pleasing to have him until the end of the season and get (the deal) over the line.'It was a worry that someone else would come along and pinch him, but I think he has enjoyed his time at Truro so far, he has been playing week in week out, which is always nice as a player."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gossip: Leeds enquire about Newcastle's Targett
Leeds United have enquired about the availability of Newcastle United defender Matt Targett with the Magpies ready to consider bids for the 29-year-old left-back. (The Athletic - subscription required) The Whites are also keen on a surprise move for former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose playing time has been limited at Turkish club Besiktas. (The Sun) Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Tuesday's gossip column here.
BBC News
28-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gossip: Leeds enquire about Newcastle's Targett
Leeds United have enquired about the availability of Newcastle United defender Matt Targett with the Magpies ready to consider bids for the 29-year-old left-back. (The Athletic - subscription required), externalThe Whites are also keen on a surprise move for former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose playing time has been limited at Turkish club Besiktas. (The Sun), externalWant more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Tuesday's gossip column here.
