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Arsenal fans might be surprised to hear that at just 31 years old, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become a free agent.
Over the last decade, Arsenal has struggled to sell players for profit. In fact, they've been cursed into players running down their contracts and leaving for next to nothing, which is a far less than ideal financial trend.
However, one player who defied those odds was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. "The Ox," as he was more commonly known, left Arsenal to join Liverpool for £35m. Back in 2017, this was quite a substantial amount of money for Arsenal to sell their players for.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now a free agent
Lo and behold, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain went on to be successful at Liverpool. That's an understatement, considering he's now a Premier League and Champions League winner.
However, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's career soon turned sour after leaving Liverpool. Now, the former Arsenal player is a free agent.
According to Yeni Safak (h/t The Sun), Besiktas has terminated Oxlade-Chamberlain's contract with immediate effect, paying him a £1.2m fee on his way out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain refused to accept the fee being paid in instalments so, after some contacts, Besiktas agreed to pay it in full, and now, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is without a club.
Where he ends up remains to be seen, but it probably won't be Arsenal.
Arsenal probably won't (and shouldn't) re-sign The Ox
Despite Mikel Arteta being a former teammate of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, we can essentially rule out a return for The Ox. Yeah, he was a fan favourite when he played for Arsenal, but the club has seriously transformed since he left. It just wouldn't make any sense.
Besides, Oxlade-Chamberlain is still the same old injury-prone midfielder he once was. This was the main frustration when he was at Arsenal, and it carried over to Liverpool too.
So, re-signing Oxlade-Chamberlain probably won't be explored. However, depending on whether he wishes to continue playing, we do wish The Ox the best in his next move.