Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of a group of players at Arsenal now beginning to be described as having unfulfilled potential, with fellow Englishmen Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott the other two most notable members of the club.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been at Arsenal since 2011, when he joined the club from Southampton for an initial £12 million. He has notched 15 goals and 15 assists in almost 150 games since then, but his statistics do not tell the entire story given that many of his appearances have come as a substitute and Arsene Wenger has deployed him in a variety of different positions.
He started the season with a winning goal in the Community Shield against Chelsea that many expected to kick start his Arsenal career and the Gunners' campaign. 'The Ox' has subsequently started 17 games and created a respectable 32 chances in a season littered with injuries - culminating in the knee problem that has ruled him out of Euro 2016 - but a key role in an Arsenal title charge has not materialised. His fitness issues aside, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s main problem is something within his control: It’s self-belief.
"I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain must believe more in himself," Wenger said. "He must believe more in his talent and that will help him develop as a player. I think sometimes he is too critical of himself. I would like him to play with the freedom and express the desire of his talent."
The 22-year-old's lack of belief in his own ability is most noticeable when he fails to beat a defender or misplaces a pass, because you can bet that it will affect him for the rest of the game. The aura carried by top-class players and is something Oxlade-Chamberlain will need to work on this summer with the Gunners' 'freelance' psychologist Jacques Crevosier.
Equally as problematic is his ability to hold down a place in the starting XI due to injuries, the competition for places at the Emirates Stadium and the sense that he still does not know his best position. The latter has been a particular point of debate among supporters, with deep-lying playmaker, central midfielder, right winger and supporting striker all touted as possibilities.
"He has the attributes to play in central midfield, he has that important quality — a little surge to get out of pressure,” Wenger said in January. "One of the things to get out of pressure is to have a little dribble to get away from the guy who closes you down and nobody more than Chamberlain has that.
“That is why he could be suited for the modern game to play in there because he has that capacity to get out of the pressure. He is really suited to be right-sided, box-to-box [central midfielder] in a 4-3-3, he really fits in there."
If that is the case, then where does Oxlade-Chamberlain fit in Wenger’s plans when he returns from injury for pre-season with Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and others all considered ahead of him in the central-midfield pecking order?
There is also the matter of interest from other Premier League clubs. Southampton enquired about taking their former player on loan several weeks ago and Manchester United also hold tentative interest. Whether or not it is pursued further over the summer is another story.
There is a lot to like about Oxlade-Chamberlain on and off the pitch. He is a strong, direct attacker who is gradually learning the art of tracking back and supporting his team-mates. He is also well-liked and respected in the Arsenal dressing room, has a supportive, sport-mad family – his younger brother Christian has just signed his first professional contract with Portsmouth - and England manager Roy Hodgson believes he can become a regular in his midfield.
This latest injury blow is a cruel one but it will afford Oxlade-Chamberlain time to recuperate and return for a full pre-season. He may only be 22, but Chamberlain talks with maturity and level-headedness. If he can bring those traits - as well as a little more self-belief - into his on-field game, his considerable potential can still be realised.
- Goal