Salah backed to stay at Liverpool by ex-Red Pennant
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has opened up on his brutal release by Liverpool over the summer, revealing that it was never truly communicated to him that he was set to become a free agent. The midfielder spent six years at Anfield and made 146 appearances for the club, but he was ultimately kept out of the loop about his future towards the end of his time there.
Jurgen Klopp consistently sung the praises of Oxlade-Chamberlain throughout his time at the club, with the England international’s versatility proving a very useful asset for squad rotation and tactical switches. However, long-term injuries truly hindered his progress in Merseyside and prompted new signings to frequently be welcomed.
Oxlade-Chamberlain won the Premier League, Champions League and EFL Cup with Liverpool, but his time at the club ended on a sour note after he was kept in the dark last season about whether his contract would be extended.
Speaking to The Athletic, the now-Besiktas star spoke of how he was dropped last season without reasoning: “I was out of the squad for the majority of the rest of the season, training with the team, then on matchdays training on my own. I carried on, kept my head down and did everything to make sure I was ready, but ultimately the manager was going in a different direction that was sort of out of my control.
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“Some of the younger players were getting an opportunity to be involved, getting them ready for years to come, which I understand. I just guess at that point as a player you want that communicated to you because you start going out of your mind thinking, ‘What more can I do here?’ And it was never really written off that you’re not getting offered a new contract.”
The ex-Arsenal star claims that Liverpool chiefs remained quiet throughout the season, with Klopp also not offering him any insight into his future. Oxlade-Chamberlain then learned of his release after being notified of a club announcement that was set to be published towards the end of the season.
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“I obviously got the picture,” he laughed. “I got told before they released the statement: ‘Just so you know, we’re putting this out about you, Milly (James Milner), Bobby (Roberto Firmino) and Naby (Keita) leaving’. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Thanks’. But there was nothing official at any point before.
“It was just… the silence was enough to know what the situation was.” Oxlade-Chamberlain is hopeful of getting his career back on track in Turkey, linking up with several ex-Premier League stars such as Eric Bailly and Daniel Amartey at Besiktas.
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