Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has confirmed that he’s had offers to sign for a new club, but he’s not considering anything outside of England right now.
Former Arsenal player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been back training with the Gunners’ u21 team recently as he searches for a new club, with reports suggesting he has offers on the table from teams around Europe.
The winger/midfielder was most recently on the books with Besiktas, but he terminated his contract in August, freeing him up to join a new club even after the transfer window closed.
But those media reports on the situation added that the player’s preference is to remain in England, and Oxlade-Chamberlain has now confirmed as much.
“Yes (there have been offers), but to be fair, most of them have been Europe, away from home,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told the Fozcast podcast (via Goal).
“For me, I did two years away, which I found difficult on a family level. I was going 6-8 weeks without seeing my son and my missus. Mum and dad didn’t even get a look in because if I came back for a day or two, it would be seeing them [his son and fiancee].
“That was difficult, and I knew that I didn’t want to do that again – I wanted to be back in England. It’s just waiting for the right thing to pop up back here, that makes sense for my family.
“I’ve had offers, and I’ve had to say no to them because they weren’t right for me and for us. It’s about waiting for the right project, something I can be excited about, to go into and hit the ground running.”
With one son already and another child on the way, it makes perfect sense Oxlade-Chamberlain would want to remain in England with his fiancée Perrie Edwards and the rest of his family.
Birmingham City were one of the clubs reportedly interested over the summer, but the move never came to fruition. Perhaps another will make a move soon.
Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t the first former Arsenal player to come back and train with the club as a free agent in recent weeks, with Tyreece John-Jules doing the same thing.
John-Jules first trained with the Arsenal u21s in early October, then with the senior side, and he’s since been handed a contract by Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock FC.