Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Victor Wanyama Rumours

Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte is reportedly trying to help convince Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to return to his old club this summer.

If Oxlade-Chamberlain does leave, the Gunners won't be able to fill the void with Saints midfield destroyer Victor Wanyama. The Kenyan powerhouse remains a target for Arsenal's north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.

But much will depend on Oxlade-Chamberlain's next move. Fonte is trying to influence his one-time team-mate, according to John Cross of the Daily Mirror:

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Southampton captain Fonte, 32, played with Oxlade-Chamberlain in their time together at St Mary's and is desperate for the England star to go back.

Fonte also tried to persuade Oxlade-Chamberlain to rejoin Saints in January and they clearly still want to sign him at the end of the season.

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Cross also noted how the Saints aren't alone in the cue of potential suitors for Arsenal's attacking midfielder, adding the Gunners' London rivals, Chelsea and West Ham United, into the mix.

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Still just 22, Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to have been at Arsenal for an age. Yet the bleak truth is he's hardly developed since signing almost five years ago.

Part of the problem has been staying fit. But even a catalogue of injury woes can't excuse Oxlade-Chamberlain's own role in stunting his career path.

He's rarely shown the application and tactical discipline to make a position his own with the Gunners. It doesn't help that the player can't seem to make up his mind between playing on the wing or operating through the middle.

Either way, Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't delivered the end product a creative player in a side as expansive as Arsenal should. He's scored just one Premier League goal this season, per WhoScored.com.

It came in a 2-0 away win over Bournemouth in early February. BBC Match of the Day detailed just how long the Ox had gone without finding the net away from home in England's top flight:

Though he remains popular with sections of Arsenal's support, the simple fact remains, Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't improved his game.

When he's a winger, he doesn't provide width or track back, drifting inside too often and leaving Arsenal outnumbered on the flanks. When he's in the middle, the England man congests the play, rarely tackles and covers little ground.

In this context, it's no wonder Wayne Veysey of Football Insider has named Oxlade-Chamberlain as one of up to 10 first-team players manager Arsene Wenger could ditch at the end of this season.

According to Veysey: "An Arsenal recruitment source has told Football Insider that Oxlade-Chamberlain’s camp have let it be known that he could leave as he enters the final two years of his contract amid strong interest from rivals including Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool."

Oxlade-Chamberlain has become a symbol of Arsenal's struggles to mount a consistent Premier League title challenge in the last three seasons. Wenger has given him chance after chance, who whatever else his critics may say against him, knows how to let attack-minded, flair players thrive.

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It's time Wenger and the Gunners cashed in on a sadly brittle player whose tremendous potential has remained untapped for too long.

Gunners Could Lose Out to Spurs over Wanyama

You'd be hard-pressed to find an Arsenal supporter, commentator or critic who doesn't believe Wenger's squad needs more so-called "steel" in midfield. Southampton's Wanyama would certainly provide it.

But it seems as though Tottenham will beat the Gunners to Wanyama, according to Simon Jones of MailOnline: "Tottenham have revived their interest in Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama. Mauricio Pochettino attempted to sign the Kenya international last summer, but Southampton resisted Tottenham's offers of £18 million."

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That needn't be bad news for Arsenal, despite Jones also noting how Saints boss Ronald Koeman doesn't want his club to sanction the sale of a player the Gunners "have yet to make any approach for."

But the Gunners don't really need the anchorman they've previously been linked with by Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph, among others.

The time for Wenger to buy Wanyama was 2013 when he joined Southampton from Celtic for a bargain £12.5 million. Instead, of wrapping up that deal, along with two or three others, Wenger splurged his transfer kitty on £42.4 million playmaker Mesut Ozil, netting a fantastic individual talent but doing nothing to stabilise an unbalanced team.

Fast-forward nearly three years later, and Wenger has found some solidity at the heart of midfield. It's in the form of tough-tackling Francis Coquelin, along with the disciplined and clever-passing Mohamed Elneny.

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With Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla also able to slot into central positions when fit, this isn't a pressing area of need.

Instead, Wenger would be better served spending this summer's transfer budget on an aggressive, commanding centre-back, a left-back with some pace and strength, as well as two forwards for a misfiring, disjointed attack.

Arsenal have enough talent and resources in midfield to step aside and let Spurs have Wanyama, even if Wenger does choose to cut ties with Oxlade-Chamberlain and a host of others.

A clear out is certainly needed from the Frenchman after yet another title challenge has rotted on the vine. But it will be just as important for Wenger to add to the right areas this summer.

That must mean fixing both what's in front and behind midfield.