Arsenal Transfer News: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Exit Talk, Latest Rumours

Liverpool and Everton are reportedly keen on luring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain away from Arsenal this summer, with stories suggesting the Gunners are willing to cash in on the England international at the end of the season.

Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Independent wrote last weekend that Arsenal are frustrated at the "lack of progress" made by the former Southampton man and will subsequently listen to offers for 22-year-old. According to Fichajes (h/t Mark Brus of Metro), the Merseyside duo are said to be ready to test what could be a weakened resolve to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain at the Emirates Stadium.

Still young and still learning the game, it’s clear that, with the right guidance, the midfielder has a bright future ahead of him. But he’s never been able to nail down a prolonged position in the starting XI under Arsene Wenger, and that lack of consistency has stunted any progress.

Chris Moore of World Soccer Talk said earlier this month that the onus should be on Oxlade-Chamberlain to perform to a higher standard when opportunities do come about:

That’s a difficult assessment to disagree with. After all, in his last outing against Barcelona in the Champions League, Oxlade-Chamberlain missed an easy chance to open the scoring, with the Blaugrana going on to win 2-0. And while it’d be harsh to apportion the blame for the loss to the midfielder, who limped off after half-time, it was another example of an opportunity missed.

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Now he’s set for a stint on the sidelines with injury, and given Arsenal have a surfeit of attacking options, the midfielder may well find it difficult to muscle his way back into the side. James McNicholas of Gunnerblog and Bleacher Report thinks he should have come out of the team anyway:

Sides such as Liverpool and Everton would afford Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to get his career kickstarted again, given he’d be a much more significant component in their squads. It’d be galling for him to leave Arsenal, given how popular he is at the Emirates, but the England man is now at an age where he should be playing regularly and making an impression in the Premier League.

A player who could potentially replace him should Arsenal decide to cash in is Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez, who has been linked with a move to the Gunners.

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According to Peter O’Rourke of ESPN FC, sources have stated that Arsenal are to "enter the race" to sign the Foxes winger, who has enjoyed a remarkable season. As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka Football, only Gunners playmaker Mesut Ozil has gotten close to being more of a threat in the final third than the Algerian in 2015-16:

Mahrez does have a plethora of attributes you would typically associate with Arsenal under Wenger.

Technically he’s tremendous, and his intelligence is clear in the manner in which he finds space on the field. Additionally, he can dribble at opponents, use either foot and thread passes through packed defences. Playing on the right flank, which has been something of a problem position for the Gunners this term, it’d be easy to see Mahrez thriving.

However, it seems as though his current manager at the King Power Stadium, Claudio Ranieri, is keen for the 25-year-old to keep focused, per BT Sport Football:

For Arsenal, it’d be a substantial coup to land a player you could see making an immediate difference in the team. There aren’t many players like Mahrez in world football, and while Leicester have been sensational this season, you could see the Foxes star potentially performing even better in a side that has been forged to enhance the qualities of intricate players.

If the Gunners keep all their attacking midfield options in situ this summer, including Oxlade-Chamberlain, then a move for Mahrez would leave Wenger with an imbalanced squad. However, if there is a desire to give the front line a facelift ahead of 2016-17, the Leicester man could well be a perfect acquisition.