West Ham United are in talks over signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan from Besiktas, according to Turkish media outlet Gilabola.
The former Southampton and Arsenal starlet moved to Turkey from Liverpool in 2023 and has done very little of merit since. The versatile but injury-prone player has barely featured this season, so why he is being linked with a transfer to West Ham is beyond me.
At 31 years of age, with seemingly no form and a very dodgy fitness record, I can’t see how Oxlade-Chamberlain would offer the sort of energy or pace in midfield that the club are apparently seeking.
It’s hard to get overly affronted by this particular rumour because, quite frankly, I don’t believe it. The likelihood is that the story has been circulated by the player’s agents in an attempt to get him back to the UK following a failed stint.
The Hammers are very much in the market for a new midfielder, but I’d be very surprised if there was any truth in this one. Whilst I’m sure the player would join Graham Potter’s West Ham revolution in a heartbeat, I doubt the feeling is reciprocated.
This seems like as good a time as any to get my old mate Hughie’s rumour rater out . . . I’m quite sure he’d have concurred.