Arguably the biggest signing of transfer deadline day last week came in the form of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the England midfielder moving from Arsenal to Liverpool in a £35 million switch.
The 24-year-old topped off a productive summer for the Merseyside club, joining Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Naby Keita – who will arrive from RB Leipzig next year – as Liverpool’s signings.
But as they say there’s no rest for the wicked and Oxlade-Chamberlain can expect a baptism of fire on his Liverpool debut when he’s expected to feature against a strong Manchester City on Saturday.
After snubbing interest from reigning Premier League champions Chelsea to join Liverpool it was widely thought that a big factor in his decision was because he could take up a central midfield role.
Yet the news that Nathaniel Clyne is ruled out for several months could scupper Oxlade-Chamberlain’s hopes, with it unclear as to whether boss Jurgen Klopp will have him at right-back.
With that in mind, does the Liverpool man represent a smart addition ahead of this weekend?
In all honesty, it’s hard to say until Klopp announces his team shortly before Saturday lunchtime, with Liverpool set to arrive at the Etihad on the back of a mightily impressive dismantling of Arsenal.
It’s more than likely that he’ll persist with the young Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-side of defence, and then the question turns to whether Klopp will disrupt a midfield that dominated last time out, with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum forming a formidable triad.
This could therefore leave the Liverpool new boy on the bench, easing him in to life at Liverpool instead and giving him the opportunity to make an impact on the match as a substitute later on.
As the season goes on it’s almost certain that Oxlade-Chamberlain will feature in the Red’s starting eleven – even if his role is unclear – and in the long-term he could turn out to be a fruitful selection.
But in terms of the short-term future, just looking ahead at this weekend’s trip to Manchester, it would be wise to leave the 24-year-old on the back burners and instead see where Klopp fits him in.
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