'Open to move' - Birmingham City and Southampton battle to land versatile Premier League winner
The transfer race is heating up for a former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder.
Birmingham City are reportedly considering making an approach for former England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain following his release from Besiktas.
Blues have kicked off the summer transfer window in style with seven new signings - including big-money addition Kyogo Furuhashi and romantic returnee Demarai Gray - and the spree looks set to continue. Many of Birmingham’s acquisitions have been for nothing as technical director Craig Gardner has made good use of the free agents’ market, digging into experience while also strengthening key areas of the squad.
That theme could carry on as Blues are eager to further bolster their midfield, even after signing Tommy Doyle on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Chris Davies is targeting an immediate promotion to the Premier League and wants every position to have several options of the necessary quality to achieve just that.
Birmingham battling Southampton and others for Premier League winner
To complete the midfield puzzle, Blues could turn their attention to Oxlade-Chamberlain, or at least they may if a recent report is to be believed. EFL Analysis claims Birmingham are one of many Championship clubs interested in signing the former Arsenal man, who won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool half a decade ago. The 31-year-old is said to be ‘open to a move’ to the English second tier.
Southampton, who Oxlade-Chamberlain made his breakthrough with back in 2010 before securing a move to Arsenal, are among those keen. Saints are said to be challenging Blues, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Stoke City for his signature, while several unnamed Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on the situation.
Birmingham face plenty of competition to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain, then, but it could be well worth going all in to sign him. The 35-time former England international may well have just seen his Besiktas contract terminated early, and he’s turning 32 in August, but he should still have plenty left to give, particularly if he takes the drop down in divisions.
How would Oxlade-Chamberlain fit in at Birmingham?
If Oxlade-Chamberlain were to complete a move to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, he could expect to be competing with the likes of Paik Seung-ho and Doyle for the second spot in the double pivot alongside the immovable Tomoki Iwata. Also capable of playing on either flank or as an advanced number 10, Oxlade-Chamberlain could be fielded in an array of other roles if Davies prefers to keep Iwata and Paik as the deeper-lying pairing.
In reality, Blues will be rotating heavily throughout the season as Davies has so many options at his disposal across the pitch, even as far as between the sticks. New loan signing James Beadle will have to compete with League One Golden Glove winner Ryan Allsop for the number one spot. There will be similar competition at right-back between Ethan Laird and new addition Bright Osayi-Samuel, too.
Even record signing Jay Stansfield may have to sit out the odd match as Davies tries to find a way of incorporating Japanese attacking duo Furuhashi and Kanya Fujimoto while not disrupting the balance of the team. It may seem cut-throat, but fierce rotation is a sign that Birmingham will be incredibly competitive heading into the new campaign.