Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been part of a winning machine for six years – and now the Liverpool midfielder is ready for a new challenge, but has not lost any of his ambition to win even more trophies.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is still only 29 and is fit, in great shape, raring to go and his enthusiasm is as infectious as ever having enjoyed the time of his life at Anfield. The England international is a free agent this summer, is open to offers and has that rare thing in football: outstanding ability and a terrific character for any dressing room.
“I still want success, I’ve had a taste of it here, they’ve been the best years ever,” Oxlade-Chamberlain tells Mirror Football. “So, if by any chance, I can have another sniff of achieving anything like that again then I’d bite your hand off.
“I think I need to go and play somewhere as consistently as possible. They say you’re coming into your peak at 29, so I want to go and test myself, play consistently somewhere.
“I’m still hungry, I still feel I have a lot of games left in me and a lot of energy left in me. I don’t like to say a point to prove, but that’s always been my attitude. From when I went to Arsenal, I felt like that. When I went to Liverpool, that’s how I felt. When I walked through the door, I felt like I needed to do that. It’s the same again. To prove myself and to prove the people out there to show what I’m capable of still doing.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer of 2017 in a £35million deal, choosing Jurgen Klopp’s men over other clubs because it was the chance to push himself and his career to the next level.
Despite injuries playing a part, Oxlade-Chamberlain has ended up winning a Premier League winner’s medal, League Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
“It’s gone quick! There were definitely spells when I felt I was playing the best I’ve ever played and in the position I’ve always wanted to play, in midfield,” he said. “That’s what made it feel more special because that was the reason I came here.
“Winning the Premier League was really special for me. It’s a shame we lifted the trophy in Covid because it would have been insane with the fans there.”
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Oxlade-Chamberlain has been a hugely popular member of the Liverpool dressing room, established a connection with the fans and has also got a winning mentality from being at one of Europe’s most successful clubs. He added: “I think we’ve done a bit of it all. We’ve stayed at the top level with the mindset we’ve set.
“The first season was the year we realised we could really achieve something special, we were winning games 4-0, 5-0, Mo [Salah] couldn’t stop scoring and Hendo gave us the belief we could win any game.
“The second season was when you saw a really big jump up when we just missed out on the league that year, by one point and that was when the team felt unstoppable. We had some tough times, we lost Virgil [van Dijk], Joey G (Gomez), we had to really dig in and fight for the Champions League. It’s not always been plain sailing through the success.
“That’s why it’s harder to say goodbye when you’ve been through so much together. There’s literally no bad eggs, everyone came from humble beginnings and everyone established who they are at Liverpool which helps as a team rather than anyone being individuals.
“That togetherness and connection with the fans has made us fairly close. The whole club and city realises that. But this is going to be an exciting time for me. It’s a new experience for me so there’s a bit of hesitation and a bit of uncertainty and not knowing. But it is still exciting.
“The only thing I can focus on is expecting something to come up and be ready to seize that opportunity when it comes. That’s the thing I’m focusing on, focusing on staying fit, being ready and seeing who still fancies a bit of the Ox!”
