Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lined up to be first England player to make Saudi Arabia move
The Saudi Pro League is stepping up its recruitment drive, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reported to be the first England player to be targeted after leaving Liverpool
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to become the latest player pursued by Saudi Arabia, with the England international available having left Liverpool at the end of the season.
The midfielder is the newest name to be linked to a Saudi Pro League transfer, with the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, NGolo Kante and Ruben Neves making moves in recent weeks. Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have also joined the league this year, with a recruitment drive ongoing for European talent to build its profile.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 29, was one of four players released by Liverpool at the end of the season, with his six-year spell at Anfield coming to an end. He was part of the club's most successful recent period, albeit with an injury-hampered time at the club, making just 103 Premier League appearances.
The Daily Mail report interest in the midfielder, with the former Arsenal man becoming the first England international to be linked with a move.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), who also own Newcastle United and LIV Golf, have recently acquired majority shares in the league's four biggest clubs, namely Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli. This means that those clubs, as well as many others in the league, are well placed to pursue European talents, with the vast finances at their disposal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is believed to be the right profile of player to be targeted but such a move could likely end his England career, with the former Southampton academy graduate not having appeared for the Three Lions since 2019.
Speaking to Mirror Football upon his Liverpool exit, Oxlade-Chamberlain spoke of his continued desire for success to replicate his Anfield achievements.
“I still want success, I’ve had a taste of it here, they’ve been the best years ever,” He said. “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."
