Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Arsenal from Southampton in 2011 as one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League – but it’s not unfair to say that he struggled to live up to the hype.
A valuable squad member, of course, the Portsmouth-born midfielder played just shy of 200 times for the Gunners.
In that time, he plundered 20 goals and 28 assists and then left for pastures new in 2017, joining Liverpool in a deal worth £35 million.
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Oxlade-Chamberlain was once destined for very big things and while he did go on to make 146 appearances for the Merseysiders, stints at Besiktas and now Celtic have followed.
Oxlade-Chamberlain names Arsenal star who left him starstruck
When Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived 15 years ago, the Gunners were no longer in their strongest era – but there were still players of a decent calibre, including Thierry Henry’s second spell at the club.
But the Frenchman wasn’t named when Oxlade-Chamberlain, who now plies his trade for Celtic, revealed who impressed with the most.
Instead, when speaking to Sky Sports‘ In The Mixer, the 32-year-old insisted that rubbing shoulders with Robin van Persie was unbelievable.
“It was kind of only when I got there and you see the players that you think, hang on a minute, what am I doing with Robin van Persie and guys that you know I’ve look up for years,” he admitted.
“And then you just have to keep taking it in your stride quite quickly.”
By virtue of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arriving in 2011, he witnessed the Dutchman as his potent best as he netted 37 strikes in all competitions that season – including 30 in the Premier League.
In the following season, Manchester United came in for the goal-getting hotshot and he then fired the Red Devils to a Premier League tile.
Van Persie once waxed poetic about Oxlade-Chamberlain
While Van Persie is evidently the better player of the two, the former centre-forward had some kind words for Oxlade-Chamberlain when he scored a delightful chip in Liverpool’s win over Genk.
Back in 2019, the Englishman dinked Liverpool’s second in a 4-1 victory in the Champions League and Van Persie told BT Sport:
“The second, third and fourth goals were all amazing, especially the second. It’s so beautiful,” he said, per Mail Online.
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Arsenal | 198 | 20 | 28 |
| Liverpool | 146 | 18 | 14 |
| Besiktas | 50 | 5 | 1 |
| Southampton | 43 | 10 | 9 |
| Celtic | 7 | 1 | 0 |
“Most strikers don’t imagine it, eight out of 10 don’t even think about it, two who actually think about it, one of the two can’t even do it. The way he executed that goal is so beautiful.
“I’m so happy for him, I used to play with him at Arsenal, I saw that ability. He has potential to be a top player, if he can do those type of goals he can become that type of player. That goal is like one you will score once in your life.”
