Newcastle must steer well clear of Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

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Newcastle United have been linked with signing Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer – and that would be a huge mistake.

Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s Liverpool contract expires this summer, with the midfielder on course to become a free agent.

That has led to speculation that Newcastle could make a move to sign him on a free. The Daily Mail have reported that the Magpies, Aston Villa and Brighton are all keen on a deal, while he also has interest from Italy.

The 29-year-old has a wealth of experience, has won multiple trophies, is an England international, can play in various positions and is going to be available for nothing. In that respect, he would be a great signing.

However, Eddie Howe must think again if he is pondering a deal to bring Oxlade-Chamberlain to St James’ Park.

Newcastle signing Oxlade-Chamberlain would be a mistake

If it was five years ago then signing Oxlade-Chamberlain would be a no brainer. He was at the top of his game in 2018, and looked like a brilliant addition to the Liverpool squad.

However, he picked up a serious injury at the end of the 2017/18 campaign and has not been the same since. He ruptured his cruciate ligament, which kept him out of action for a full year.

His next lengthy injury wasn’t until late 2020, when a knee problem forced him to miss 11 Premier League games.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was then largely unused last season, and that has continued during the current campaign. The former Arsenal midfielder has only started four Premier League games.

He is not capable of playing in a Jurgen Klopp team anymore, so there is no chance he could thrive in an Eddie Howe side. The Toon boss needs constant energy from his midfielders, who run themselves into the ground every week – much like Liverpool used to.

It would be a terrible decision by Dan Ashworth

In 2018, the Ox would have been perfect. But this is 2023, and he is not the player he once was. Hopefully he can rebuild his career as he is an excellent footballer, but there is no chance it will be at St James’ Park.

He is the type of signing that Newcastle should avoid. Yes, he is a big name player. But the Magpies are typically signing young players with stacks of potential rather than 29-year-old injury risks.

Deals for Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman are not comparable to Oxlade-Chamberlain. He would be Dan Ashworth’s worst bit of business if the Toon Sporting Director did decide to make a move.

Oxlade-Chamberlain reportedly earns £125,000-a-week at Liverpool, which is more than anyone currently earns at Newcastle. That in itself should make talk of a Toon transfer a non-starter.