Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of Southampton teen sensation Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but should Gunners manager Arsene Wenger learn from his mistakes with Theo Walcott and allow the player to move on loan straight away if a permanent deal is secured for the youngsters signature?
There were always likely to be comparisons between Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott. The nature of the fee is similar – with Oxlade-Chamberlain rumoured to be worth around £10m by the Saints and the Walcott deal costing the club £12m in total. There is also the fact that both players come from the same club in the form of League One’s Southampton, a club with a rich tradition of bringing through talented youth team players. Both players are also around the same age upon their respective moves to Arsenal, with Walcott signing just before his 17th birthday and Oxlade-Chamberlain currently 17 years old as well. But in fact, they are very different players.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s father, former England international winger Mark Chamberlain, who won 8 caps for the national side between 1982-84 had this to say on the comparisons between the two: “I’ve worked with both. They have both got different attributes. Theo has already played 100 Premier League games for Arsenal, played for England and has scored a hat-trick. He’s a really good player. Alexander is a little different. He’s a bit better technically. He’s more of a central midfielder than a wide player.”
Here in itself lies the problem, will Oxlade-Chamberlain, if he completes any proposed move to Arsenal, get the chance to continue his development straight away in a midfield that already boasts the talents of Cesc Fabregas, fellow new kid on the block Jack Wilshere, and for me, the player of the season thus far in Samir Nasri? It’s extremely unlikely.
The aforementioned triumvirate have been key to Arsenal’s success this term and with Alex Song giving them a defensive platform from which to build upon, they look an extremely settled unit.
The make-up of reserve team football in this country has come in for some heavy criticism recently too and the Premier League are said to be looking at reviewing the current structure through fear it isn’t helping to develop players enough. The latest proposals are said to look at drawing up an Under-21 development league, with the idea that it’ll help eradicate the distinct lack of competitiveness currently present in reserve team football.
Oxlade-Cahmberlain’s move to Arsenal couldn’t have come at a more uncertain time for the youngster. He’s likely to train with the first-team squad every week, and even make the odd appearance from the bench, but the majority of his games if a loan deal isn’t given the go-ahead, will come either in the yet untested Under-21 development league, or in the reserves – a system which is widely acknowledged to be failing in it’s primary objective of developing players.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger suggested a deal was on the cards by stating: “We will try now. We need an agreement with Southampton. We need an agreement with the player, and we are not the only ones on the case. But we try as hard as we can as I like him as a player.” The player in question is said to favour a move to The Emirates due to their success in nurturing talent.
I think it’s fair to say that Theo Walcott hasn’t developed quite in the way during his time at Arsenal as Wenger would have liked. Walcott arrived at Arsenal having barely played 20 odd league games for Southampton. He was raw then and he is raw now. Perhaps in hindsight, a loan move back to Southampton for a full season would have done Walcott wonders in terms of developing his natural ability, because in the top flight so far, it’s been a long and ardurous process.
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Walcott has added goals to his game this season though, with 10 goals in 23 games so far this term, and at just 21 years of age, it’s worth remembering just how young he still actually is. But the fact remains, he is sometimes at odds with Arsenal’s intelligent approach play. His technique can sometimes let him down and he remains a divisive figure for both club and country, with the much famed debate over whether he lacks a footballing brain showing no signs of reaching a conclusion anytime soon.
Walcott has played over 150 games across all competitions for Arsenal since signing in 2006, but many of these have come from the bench and it’s fair to say that the player himself has had a lot of injury troubles during that period. He’s simply not as far along as most of us would have hoped, which shouldn’t detract from the good season he’s having so far this campaign. This season has marked a watershed for Walcott, and it’s the first season since he signed for Arsenal that he’s looked a consistent threat across a significant stretch of matches.
His ascension to guaranteed starter has taken place, not because of any huge technical improvements that Walcott has made to his game in the last 18 months or so, but more for an appreciation of his abilities and what he can do well. He offers Arsenal something that they otherwise lack – a direct option whose pace can expose a back line when the ball is played in behind. In the long-term he’ll make a fine striker, but it’s worth noting that with 7 assists to his name already this term, his delivery is getting better.
Perhaps it was just the unfair hype placed upon him at such a young age that has proved Walcott’s undoing. The unrealistic expectations meant he was always destined to fall just short. Nontheless, it is only now that we are only just starting to see what Walcott is fully capable of, and considering the significant outlay, Wenger may want to see a quicker return on Oxlade-Chamberlain.
If the Oxlade-Chamberlain deal does go ahead, then Wenger would be best served leaving the youngster at Southampton for the foreseeable future. The regular football he’s acquiring himself could prove to be invaluable in aiding his future development. He looks a fantastic prospect and with the premium on English talent striking again, any proposed deal won’t come cheap. He’s likely to gain more playing each week than anything he’s likely to learn on the training ground at Arsenal, at least in the immediate short-term.
With reserve team football doing little to enhance the development of youth in this country due to the irregularity of fixtures, Oxlade-Chamberlain could benefit from a long season in League One. He’s only 17 years of age but has a directness and technique you simply can’t teach. The one thing he needs to continue his development is match practice, and if he’s sent out on loan, perhaps he’ll develop a lot quicker than Walcott seems to have done during his time at Arsenal.
What does everyone else think? Would Oxlade-Chamberlain be better learning from Arsene Wenger every day or playing week in week out in League One?
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