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Arsenal Have A Lot To Gain In Reece Oxford
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal are yet again tied to Reece Oxford. It appears that there is a lot that Arsenal can gain from overspending on the West Ham wonderkid.
Arsenal witnessed first hand the potential of English youngster Reece Oxford when they were embarrassingly defeated by the Hammers on opening day in the Premier League. However, since that time, Oxford’s appearances have been few and far between for Slaven Bilic’s club. As such, rumors are swirling that Arsenal could be keen on snapping up the youngster.
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Oxford has only appeared for 138 minutes this year. Over half of that time was spent auditioning for Arsenal at the Emirates. And the reports would indicate that Wenger was impressed.
Wenger has made it his priority to land every wonderkid he possibly can, foreign or domestic. Wenger is a known pursuer of Ben Chilwell of Leicester as well as Todd Cantwell of Norwich. Supposedly Arsenal’s chief scout Steve Rowley is the fan of Reece Oxford and as such, he is keen to add Oxford to the likes of Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze to bolster the wonderkid class of 2016.
Oxford’s contract is up in 2018 and as of now, there is no word of a new deal being discussed.
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The rumored price tag is £8m, which is a hefty price to pay for a 17 year old but when you consider the current and future implications of such a signing, he is well worth it.
For starters, Oxford has the versatility factor. Wenger is a big fan of players that he can shift around the pack. Consider the Ox, Chambers, Welbeck – they are all guys that can play numerous positions if need be.
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Reece Oxford fits that mold, playing two positions that Arsenal desperately need. Oxford can play defensive midfield or center back. Meaning that he has the defensive capabilities to bolster Arsenal’s defense.