West Ham considering loan move for Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
By Tom Gott
West Ham United are considering a loan move for Liverpool utility man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.
The Hammers are looking to strengthen their squad and build on last season's excellent sixth-placed finish, and they have been linked with a whole host of fringe players from the Premier League's top teams.
The latest name to be linked with a move to West Ham is Oxlade-Chamberlain, with ExWHUemployee stating that the 27-year-old is on David Moyes' radar as a potential cut-price alternative to his two top targets, Jesse Lingard and Matheus Pereira.
The story was then picked up by The Express, who suggest that Oxlade-Chamberlain could be made available for transfer as Jurgen Klopp plans to rebuild his squad this summer.
Now 27 and with two years remaining on his contract, Liverpool will soon have to make a decision about the future of Oxlade-Chamberlain, who finds himself in a similar boat to other older stars like Jordan Henderson, but without the security of being a regular starter.
Oxlade-Chamberlain made just 13 Premier League appearances last year, two of which lasted more than half an hour, with injuries definitely working against him.
Since 2011, he has managed more than 30 appearances in just two seasons, both of which happened to be with Liverpool, and the Reds must now decide whether they see a future for him at Anfield.
Unfortunately for Oxlade-Chamberlain, this situation may not even be left to Klopp. The boss' wish to keep Georginio Wijnaldum fell on deaf ears, as did his plea to see Henderson tied to a new contract immediately.
The club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are growing concerned about the amount of ageing players in the squad and are reluctant to commit a lot of money to them, and you get the feeling that a soon-to-be 28-year-old with Oxlade-Chamberlain's sketchy injury history might not be the most attractive asset to them.
If they do let Oxlade-Chamberlain go, a permanent sale would obviously be their preferred outcome, but a loan offer from West Ham may well be as good as they can get in this market.