Another day, another new name linked with a summer move to St James’ Park. Today it’s Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
According to The Mail’s Sami Mokbel – the paper’s chief football reporter – Newcastle, Brighton, and Aston Villa have all emerged as early options for the 29-year-old.
The former Arsenal man will leave Anfield at the end of the season, as his current deal expires this summer and will not be renewed. It’s not the first time we’ve been linked with a soon-to-be free agent, with Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach), Alex Grimaldo (Benfica), and Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) also linked in recent weeks.
Chamberlain played 12 times for Jurgen Klopp this term, starting four times in the Premier League, but he’s slipped down the pecking order and appears surplus to requirements, with the Reds expected to sign at least one new midfielder this summer.
He may be versatile and experienced, racking up 35 appearances for England and over 230 in the Premier League. However, he missed 14 games this season with hamstring issues, turns 30 in a few months’ time, and hasn’t set the world alight for a while after several years on the fringe of Liverpool’s first team.
We know Eddie Howe loves to target domestic talents with experience at this level, but I’d be surprised if the former Saints talent is someone on our list; even on a ‘free.’
