As Slaven Bilic starts plotting for next season, he will be looking to add more creativity to a side that has greatly relied on Dimitri Payet. The French attacker has easily been West Ham’s best player this season and could have led West Ham to the Champions League if he had stayed fit for a part of the season.
One rumour that is making the rounds is that of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signing for the Hammers. A hop across London might not be the worst thing for someone who has not been a regular in Arsenal but is this deal a good one for Arsenal?
No Ox in the box
It is a bit of a surprise that Oxlade-Chamberlain has not been able to get into position in the starting XI for the Gunners this season. Think about the injuries suffered to the likes of Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez and with no real attackers, it should have been the Ox who should have pushed for his place in the team.
Sure, he did have a bit of an issue with injury as well but it certainly is a poor showing on his quality. Joel Campbell and Alex Iwobi seem to be higher up the pecking order than the 22-year-old English attacker and this should be something that West Ham should think about before signing the youngster.
What West Ham need is creativity in their side, they already have the likes of Payet and Lanzini but they also need someone to step-up when either of the duo end up injured or suspended. That has been a major issue with West Ham this season, despite players such as Emenike and Valencia, they have struggled in certain games.
The Hammers can also speak about the spate of poor decisions that have gone against them but in the world of football, you make your own luck and if the rub of the green was on their side, the Hammers would not have complained.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to be at a club which gives him regular football and that unfortunately might not even take place at West Ham as they look to go higher and perform better than this season. Think about it, would Bilic replace either Lanzini or Payet at this junction of the season with Oxlade-Chamberlain?
No one would make that change and bringing the Englishman would only disrupt the career of Oxlade-Chamberlain. Even Victor Moses has not been able to do much for the team and barely figures in the West Ham team.
The Arsenal player should rather try to prove the manager that he is ready to fight for his place and do more on the pitch rather than think about moving away. One wrong move can spell the end of a career and this is the last thing needed for the youngster and well even West Ham would not want to take the risk of splashing big and not getting the desired result.