Alex Oxlade Chamberlain aka "The Ox"

[danperkins]

Yeah there's no way we could not have sold or at the very least loaned them out to get them off the books. Personally I think we just didn't want to

[Exiled_red]

I’m sure we all understand what an analogy is.

And the complaint isn’t about them personally in their current situation, it’s that we have let it get to this stage and not sold them before now.

It’s bad enough when a player that we should be desperate to keep runs those contract down, when it’s Ox and Keita, and arguably an aging Firmino, we only have ourselves to blame

In the case of Ox who buys him with 2-3 years left on his contract, off the back of his injuries it's a massive risk and the fee we are looking for would be close to what we paid for him (we paid £35m when he only had a year left on his Arsenal contract IIRC). Keita was the same, a player who hadn't worked out and with his injury record who pays £25m plus for him? Only options were to cut losses and take whatever anyone was willing to offer, IMO we'd have been lucky to get £25m for the pair perhaps less due to Covid. or you hang on and gamble that they could over come problems, which seemingly is what we did (and IMO was never going to work out).

[Kenneth]

In the case of Ox who buys him with 2-3 years left on his contract, off the back of his injuries it's a massive risk and the fee we are looking for would be close to what we paid for him (we paid £35m when he only had a year left on his Arsenal contract IIRC). Keita was the same, a player who hadn't worked out and with his injury record who pays £25m plus for him? Only options were to cut losses and take whatever anyone was willing to offer, IMO we'd have been lucky to get £25m for the pair perhaps less due to Covid. or you hang on and gamble that they could over come problems, which seemingly is what we did (and IMO was never going to work out).

Everton, Villa, someone like that. And they give us £15m for him. Keita goes for £20-25 with two years on his contract imo.

[labourRed]

It's a mug's game to think we could easily sell players on comparatively big wages.

Especially ones that are bang average and crocks like Lalana, Ox, Keita. Even Sturidge despite being elite on his day couldn't be flogged.

[Mark79]

Can’t force a player to leave if they’re under contract and don’t want to go.

I’ve no doubt we’d have taken £10-£15m for Ox. The issue was more likely that he wasn’t getting offered anything like the wages he’s on here, so he dug in and will enjoy the perks of being a free agent in the summer,

[BootRoom]

The better option would have been to let him go for **** all if nobody wanted to pay a transfer fee; he's at least off the wage bill and his exorbitant wages would be much more palatable if no transfer fee is involved, so would generate interest.

[Exiled_red]

If someone had offered £15m personally I would have snapped their hand off, I doubt such an offer has been on the table. He's supposedly on £120k a week. I think given the situation with Covid, the fact he's missed about 2 years of football due to injury and hasn't played regularly for 4 years, a club would be mad to put a package close to that together for him. For me when his contract with us is up Ox will be lucky if he doesn't find himself in the Daniel Sturridge type position.

[Tribute]

I reckon he's the absolutely ideal signing for new money Newcastle to kick start their galacticos parade... a warm up to the serious contenders in the summer

[Charly]

Somebody to set the kit out?

[wiw]

Weren't we looking to sell him and he got injured in preseason?

[Big Dave]

Weren't we looking to sell him and he got injured in preseason?

I think this was probably true of both Ox and Keita. There's no doubt we'd have brought some players in to replace them and been much better off if it had happened

[Kenneth]

Weren't we looking to sell him and he got injured in preseason?

Maybe, but he should have gone years ago.

[Exiled_red]

I think this was probably true of both Ox and Keita. There's no doubt we'd have brought some players in to replace them and been much better off if it had happened

I'm not sure it does apply to Keita, there seems to be a belief in the club that we can get him beyond his injuries and he will be a good player for us, there was certainly something like this a year or so ago that came out of the club. I don't buy it IMO both needed to be moved and more importantly replaced before now

Maybe, but he should have gone years ago.

I don't like how willing we seemingly are to think that players will bad injury records will get over them and come good it frustrates the **** out of me how many players seem to be injury prone or unavailable for so many matches, you really have to be something special to consider justifying that and most of them aren't of that quality.

[danperkins]

We should give him time, he could be like a new signing.

[BigChief]

If only Newcastle would offer us 30-40m for both Keita and Ox in January.