Southampton wonderkid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is wanted by some of the top teams in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Liverpool are believed to be monitoring his potential, however Arsenal are currently favourites to capture the youngsters signature.
Talented
The youngster is talked about as the next up and coming superstar. The midfielder has good pace and creativity.
He also has an eye for goal as his six goals for Southampton this season has proved. He is already rated in the £10million bracket and is likely to move before the transfer window shuts.
Negotiations
It seems that the Gunners are yet to negotiate a deal for the youngster. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports: “We will try now,” We need an agreement with Southampton.
“We need an agreement with the player, and we are not the only ones on the case. But we try as hard as we can as I like him as a player.”
Choice
Arsenal is his first choice of destination when he does make the move. His father former-England international Mark Chamberlain believes that the Gunners would be the best club to develop his son’s big potential.
He told Sky Sports: “Arsenal, with the manager there, the way they play and how they develop players I think they are the ideal choice,”
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been compared to another former-Saints star now at Arsenal Theo Walcott. However his dad is quick to point out the difference between the two.
He continued: “I am his dad. I’ve worked with both. They’ve both got different attributes. Theo has already played 100 Premier League games for Arsenal, played for England and has scored a hat-trick. He’s a really good player.
“Alexander is a little different. He’s a bit better technically. He’s more of a central midfielder player than a wide player. He’s coping very well. It’s all speculation. It’s the time of the year when things do happen. I think if anything is happening the club will keep us notified.”
The majority of Southampton fans believe that Oxlade-Chamberlain is a better player than Walcott at his age. The question is how will he mature and will he fulfil his potential?
That question won’t be answered for a number of years yet but if Arsenal does decide to sign him they are buying potential rather than the finished article. Wenger however is a master at developing young players into world-class stars.
Youngsters
Arsenal are seen as the best choice for Oxlade-Chamberlain due to Wenger giving youngsters their chance in the first team and helping them fulfil their potential.
The likes of Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas have all been moulded into top players by Wenger. Exposure to first team football will no doubt have helped that development. He had also previously helped the likes of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry to become world-class performers.
Money
Southampton has brought the youngster through the clubs academy and all their hard work has paid off. If he does leave for £10million then the club will feel they have been handsomely rewarded for the part they have played in the youngster’s career.
That is a major amount of money for a club in the third tier of English football and it seems the club have given up hope of holding onto the youngster for much longer.
Ideal
The ideal situation for everybody would be if Arsenal signed the youngster and let him stay at Southampton until the end of the season. Southampton are currently chasing promotion to the Championship and keeping Oxlade-Chamberlain would only help the Saints achieve their goal.
For the player he will gain more first team experience and the chance to help his club back towards the Premier League.
And for Arsenal it will mean securing the services of one of the country’s brightest young talents. I believe that deal would suit everybody. The youngster definitely has a bright future ahead of him and hopefully he will fulfil his potential and become a top player.
Will Arsenal be a good move for Oxlade-Chamberlain?
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