With the transfer window well and truly open, one of England’s brightest young talents is being linked with a big money move to one of the Premier League giants. 17-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has impressed for Southampton this season and has already been named the ‘new Theo Walcott’ down at St. Mary’s. Before we all get carried away with England’s next best thing though, cast your mind back to 2006 and Walcott’s own multi-million pound transfer to Arsenal. Is there a lesson to be learned?
Much like Oxlade-Chamberlain, as a youngster coming through at Southampton, Walcott had the world at his feet. He was unpredictable, exciting, set goals up and even scored them. If he didn’t perform, fans put it down to inexperience and were convinced he would be back on song next time. All of a sudden, Arsene Wenger came calling. Walcott was the subject of much speculation and consequently made a move to the North London club with a fee which cost a total of £11 million, after all the add-ons.
For the player himself, there is no debating that the lure of playing for a such a successful club is too much to turn down. Automatically, he would have had thoughts of playing at the Nou Camp in the Champions League and lifting the Premier League title. What actually followed wasn’t really as he would have planned.
As it stands, Walcott can justify his transfer, he has realised most of those dreams. He is finally a regular in the Arsenal first team and is starting to produce the type of consistent performances which he has promised for years but failed to deliver. We saw flashes of brilliance – Croatia away comes to mind – but it was never often enough. How many times in the past few seasons have people questioned whether he had enough to make it as a top quality player? We never let him get on with it, and considering the bad luck he has experienced with injuries and all the focus on his inclusion in the 2006 World Cup, he has done remarkably well to still become a good player.
Continue Reading on Page 2 . . .
Its live fantasy football! Become part of the Merseyside Derby and play Picklive for FREE. A Free Trial for every reader here
This week it is former Liverpool WAG Jennifer Ellison!
————–
CLICK ON THE IMAGE OR HERE TO GET TO THE GALLERY
–
If he moves to a new club with a British manager, then he will be alright. If he moves to Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, then, that will be the beginning of the end of his football career.
if this kid is worth 10 million then we have 70 million in our youth team. if we were offered 20 million for suso tomorrow, i know we would not sell. first team set up now kenny.
but buy him now coz he mite join utd n become huge like villa u neva know
Then we will have to buy every U-17 rated by the press and football agent. Imagine the no of youngsters linked to LFC eden hazard, romelu lukaku, connor wickham, sturridge e.t.c and now oxlade. I’ll prefer hazard and lukaku but Lets give our own chance & make them grow.
I tot it would have been wise to subt jova for pacheco against black pool intead of leaving the serb on the pitch bullying & pushin players all around the pitch but….
he is a arsenal player and he will play for arsenal