Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain contract assertions make sense

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has reportedly insisted his contract stand-off has nothing to do with money. Given the positional uncertainty he has suffered at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, such assertions do make sense.

Football, for most people is a sport, a game even, for those privileged enough to still see it through childlike eyes, with the freedom and carefree attitude that used to drive their undying passion for kicking a raggedy old ball against a wall, before getting told off by the grumpy neighbour next door for knocking it into the garden.

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For some, however, it is a business. It is ruthless and hard-nosed. It is cut-throat, revolving around money, revenue and profit; all the buzz-words that have infiltrated sporting society are symptoms of a changing character, and not for the better.

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Nonetheless, that does not mean that all those who play it are simply doing so to line their wallets. Certainly, some are. That much is undeniable. But there are still others who choose to play football because of their love for the game; their love for the crunching tackle as bone meets bone in a collision of will and weight; their love for the caressing of the ball as it skips and slides along the surface, kissing the grass as it runs; their love for the ripple of the net or the cheers from the stands or the barking of a manager or the elation of victory.

Some players still love football.

This brings me onto the topic of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. With just a year left on his contract, he and Arsenal have entered into serious discussions about extending it. Those discussions, though, have stalled, with many media outlets suggesting that Arsene Wenger may be forced into selling one of his most prized assets.

There have been rumours suggesting various different reasons for why the contract talks have stalled. The most prominent thought is money. Chamberlain is simply asking for more than Wenger is willing to give him. But in a report from The Mirror, Chamberlain has insisted that the contract struggles are not due to money.

In a footballing world that is increasingly business like, that is a statement that is often difficult to believe. However, in Chamberlain’s case, I do believe him. While he still wants to be paid as his talents demands, I also believe that his greater worry is his own development, the playing time that he is given and the position that he is given it in.

At Arsenal, he has not been an entrenched starter, perhaps undeservingly so. His position has been uncertain, rarely stationed in his best role as a central midfielder, and his game time has been restricted thanks to Wenger’s hesitancy to trust him.

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I believe that the contract talks have stalled because Chamberlain loves the game, not because he loves money. He still plays with the same childlike joy and freedom that many could only dream of. That is why he wants to leave and Wenger must go a long way to convincing him otherwise.