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Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Could Pull The Ground From Below The Club
Arsene Wenger has stated that avoiding an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departure is vital. The English midfield could pull the ground from under Arsenal’s feet.
Arsene Wenger has a very specific and entrenched way of running his football club. As is the case with anyone who has been in the same role for over two decades, the organisation, Arsenal in this instance, is often moulded and shaped by the ideals and the approaches of such a significant and experienced person.
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One of the unwavering beliefs with which Wenger manages is the acquiring, the developing and the trusting of young players. Throughout his time at the Emirates, he has always looked towards domestic and European youth systems to find the best, up and coming talent. One of those who he has nurtured in recent years is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
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Signed as an 18-year-old from Southampton, his progression has been slow and steady during his six years at the club. This season, though, he has blossomed as he has seen his position shifted into a central one. However, his contract now has just one year remaining from the end of the year and there have been musings suggesting a possible exit from the club. When asked about how damaging that would be for Arsenal, Wenger was clear that it is vital that he and the club are able to come to an agreement with Chamberlain:
"“I personally think it is vital that Chamberlain stays at Arsenal,. We bought him when he was very young, we have built him up and I think he has a great mentality. I like his mentality and he has a good football brain. It would be a big damage for us to lose this kind of player. In an inflationary market we have to consider the situation as a whole. We have to dedicate the money for everybody.”"
In the same interview, Wenger also mentions that club has been forced to sell players in the past. Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri et al. But there is a different feel to their departures. They were players who were considered too ambitious for the club, players who wanted to chase trophies that Arsenal were unable to offer elsewhere.
Chamberlain, though, is a product of Wenger’s tutoring. He is, while talented, not a player of the calibre of a Fabregas or a van Persie. That is perhaps why his exit would be so more detrimental to the ideals of Wenger. It is players like him that make Wenger scour the market for talented youngsters. To then lose him just as he reaches his peak would be utterly counter-productive.
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Chamberlain would be an excellent addition to many squads across the continent and will certainly be a touted prospect in the summer, one which Arsenal will have to work hard to retain. Losing him could well pull away the ground from under the them. The very foundations of how Wenger has built this club are run would be shaken.