Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed that the club tried desperately hard to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before he joined Arsenal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain left Southampton for the Emirates Stadium for £15m in 2011, but not before the Reds had made a big effort to snap him up.
“There has always been a buzz around Oxlade-Chamberlain and when he was leaving Southampton, Liverpool were one of the clubs in the bidding,” Carrgher is quoted as saying in the Liverpool Echo.
“His dad, Mark, visited Melwood and Steven Gerrard and I both spoke with him in the hope he would make a big move north. Liverpool’s loss was Arsenal’s gain.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the only goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 Community Shield triumph over Chelsea last Sunday and has been given the nod to start their Premier League opener against West Ham United.
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The 21-year-old has scored 13 goals in 117 games for the Gunners, and also has four goals in 20 appearances for England since making his international debut against Norway in 2012.
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