West Ham United have been linked with a loan move for Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as David Moyes looks to strengthen his midfield options.
What’s the story?
According to The Express, West Ham’s have identified several targets to replace the loss of Jesse Lingard this summer, with the 29-year-old now expected to remain at Manchester United next season.
The report claims that West Brom’s Matheus Periera is the capital club’s top priority, although Ross Barkley and Oxlade-Chamberlain are also on the Hammers’ radar.
GSB must sanction swoop
Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Anfield via a £35m move from Arsenal back in 2017 and hit the ground running at his new surroundings.
The box-to-box maestro scored five goals and provided eight assists in 46 appearances for the Reds, playing a pivotal part as they reached the Champions League final.
However, a serious knee injury ruled Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the showpiece event and for much of the subsequent campaign.
He made a solid return to action in 2019/20, though, earning the praise of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for his promising performances.
“He had a lot of moments where he was really outstanding, but then other moments where he’s not really involved,” said the German tactician as Oxlade-Chamberlain was getting back to his best in 2019.
“And these things, that’s our life as a footballer, we always try to reach perfection. There are so many games where he still needs to find rhythm and stuff like this. But like I said it’s no problem. That’s for us a long-term injury and a long-term project to coming back from it.”
Despite producing a string of impressive performances in 2019/20, the England international suffered from a string of fitness concerns one again last term, limiting him to just 13 Premier League appearances.
With Liverpool currently offloading a host of unwanted fringe players, Oxlade-Chamberlain could be the next to depart the Merseyside club in search of regular game time.
Therefore, GSB must swoop for the £16.2m-rated goalscoring midfielder this summer, strengthening Moyes’ squad ahead of another grueling campaign.
West Ham will be competing in the Europa League next term, adding extra strain the Scotsman’s already thin squad. The addition of Oxlade-Chamberlain, if he is back fit and firing, would provide cover and competition in a variety of positions, allowing the east London outfit to fight on multiple fronts.
And, in other news…Sam Inkersole drops verdict on West Ham’s summer striker search
