A closer look at Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's Liverpool future

Back in the summer of 2017, Liverpool signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal for a transfer fee of €38 million.

The arrival of the Englishman certainly excited us. The Reds had acquired a player that could pass, dribble and score from the middle of the park.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was also excited about what Oxlade-Chamberlain could bring to his side.

As quoted by The Guardian, the German said: “I hear a lot of talk about positions but let’s talk about the player; he is someone with really good abilities who always gives everything for his team.

"A player that is positive and willing to take risks to try and make positive things happen. He may still be young but he has a lot of experience in the Premier League, Champions League and for his country.

"Already he is a very, very good player and I think he has the mentality and desire to get even better – and that excites me."

Oxlade-Chamberlain repaid Klopp's faith in his debut season (2017-18) at Anfield. The midfielder scored five goals and registered eight assists in 42 appearances.

However, Oxlade-Chamberlain's season was cut short, as he suffered a serious knee injury against Roma at Anfield in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The midfielder missed Liverpool's next 43 games as a result. Since then, Oxlade-Chamberlain has not quite been the same.

In recent years, the 28-year-old has been in and out of the side due to form and injuries. Oxlade-Chamberlain has only featured in 90 matches for Liverpool since suffering the major injury against Roma.

He has somewhat been left behind by his teammates.

Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott are ahead of Oxlade-Chamberlain in the pecking order.

Even when the former Arsenal man plays as a forward, which he has done on the odd occasion this season, he is still behind Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz.

Therefore, we have been asking ourselves, does Oxlade-Chamberlain have a future at Anfield?

Oxlade-Chamberlain's contract does not expire until June 2023. With that being the case, he is set to be a Liverpool player come next season.

But, it was reported back in October 2021 that Oxlade-Chamberlain would be open to securing a move away from Anfield to get more opportunities elsewhere.

We can 100 percent understand if Oxlade-Chamberlain wanted to try something new. But, we would love to see the midfielder remain at Liverpool and fight for his place.

The reality is, he possesses a lot of talent. Some of the goals that Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored for Liverpool have been superb. You never want to see a good player leave, regardless of whether they are a regular starter or not.

Going by previous comments, Oxlade-Chamberlain certainly enjoys representing the club.

"Of course you've got to have that where you want more (success), but I think sometimes it's also good to take a step back and have a look and realise I'm still in an amazing position and lucky enough to be at an amazing football club like Liverpool," he told the club's official website back in September 2021.

"It is a part of enjoying every minute, the highs, the lows and trying to take them for what they are and work through them.

"When you're 35 or 36 and you're not playing anymore, it's all said and done. I think I've got to 28 pretty quickly, so I'm sure that that will fly around as well.

"It's more just about trying to enjoy every moment, keep pushing myself as much as I can to get the most out of myself and keep helping push the team to achieve as much as you can.

"Because when it's all said and done, all you've got to look back on is what we all achieved as a team. So that's where I'm at with that."

Oxlade-Chamberlain also appears to be a good character. We have never heard a bad word spoken about him.

Having good people around the squad is good for the culture of the club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is still quite young, which highlights that his career is far from finished.

But, only time will tell where the midfielder's long-term future lies.