Liverpool are heading back in the right direction after slipping out of the top four last season, with a lot of Jurgen Klopp’s side’s progression attributed to their successful summer of transfers.
It was a tedious transfer window for the Reds, as they completed the majority of their deals done early in welcoming Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister at the start of the business period.
While the Reds had a quiet period in the market while other club’s seemed busy, Klopp recruited well in adding the two midfielders to the fold, with both already repaying their fees with a strong start to life at Anfield.
Business hasn’t always been so sharp in the red corner of Merseyside, as highlighted by one of the deals sanctioned to welcome a certain player back in 2017, who called time on his Liverpool career after six years this summer.
When did Liverpool sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?
In the summer of 2017, the Reds announced the signing of former Arsenal ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had spent six years in north London before making the move to Merseyside.
The then-24-year-old was signed for a fee of £35m, a price that was poised to rise to £40m based on appearance-related add-ons to the joy of the Gunners.
At the time of his departure, the Englishman had just one year remaining on his contract with Arsenal, making the collection of £35m a strong deal for those at the Emirates for a player whose future was far from guaranteed in the favoured XI.
How many goals did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain score?
Oxlade-Chamberlain left Arsene Wenger’s side having scored just 20 goals in 198 appearances, with only nine Premier League goals to his name in 132 league appearances, seeing him once branded as “awful” by journalist Miguel Delaney.
It was a confusing deal for a club as ‘on the up’ as Liverpool to agree to the expenditure of a versatile forward that didn’t have many goals to his name, however it quickly became apparent that Klopp saw the winger’s position further back.
For Liverpool, things seemed to click for the 5 foot 11 menace at first, as he was integrated into central midfield and given licence to roam.
The positional change seemed to work as Oxlade-Chamberlain had a hand in ten goals in his debut Premier League season at Anfield, scoring three and assisting seven in 32 appearances.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2023, and the Portsmouth-born whiz departed Liverpool having scored 18 goals in 146 appearances, a far from admirable tally but he had rounded the jaded edges of his game that had not been tamed at Arsenal.
How much did Liverpool spend on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?
The most pivotal factor of the misunderstood England international’s game was his inability to keep fit, seeing him missing almost 600 days of action at Liverpool, amounting to just under two years of availability over his six-year stay.
While the Englishman’s tally in front of goal marginally improved, his development was hugely hindered by his consistent battle with injury and subsequently, his slip down the pecking order.
Despite his unfortunate injury woes not being any fault of his own, Liverpool were drained financially by the entire deal regarding the now 30-year-old’s stay at Anfield.
In total, the Reds spent roughly £68m to accommodate the midfielder’s tenure, due to his £35m price tag plus his colossus £33m picked up in wages over the six years he was employed by the club.
When he first arrived, the former Arsenal dud was earning £4.1m-per-year, which increased to £6.2m-per-year in 2019 when he penned a contract extension, amounting to a weekly wage of £120k, via Capology.
Did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deserve to earn so much?
Putting aside the fact that the midfielder, despite being frustrating at times, was a likeable figure on Merseyside, his presence and inability to secure consistent game time made his price tag and wage bill difficult to merit.
When dividing the £33m in wages that the Englishman received at Liverpool by the number of goals he scored in six years, the figure amounts to around £1.8m-per-goal-scored which is harrowing reading for the Reds.
This summer, the decision was made not to extend Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract as he made nine appearances in the 2022/23 campaign, resulting in him leaving as a free agent at the expiration of his £120k-per-week deal.
Today, the 30-year-old is valued at €6.2m (£5.3m), conveying his decline over the years as he progresses in a new chapter of his story at Besiktas.
With one Champions League medal and a Premier League winners medal, the midfielder departed with silverware to add to his 18 goals scored, while Liverpool continue to weigh up the benefits of his expense.
How much do other Liverpool players earn?
While Oxlade-Chamberlain’s chapter has closed, the Reds continue to have some well-paid earners at the club, despite not pulling their weight on the pitch.
The Englishman was in the top-ten earners at Liverpool based on last season’s calculations of wage payments, with another questionable name in the lucrative list.
Similarly to Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara has made a minimal impact at Anfield, despite being one of the squad’s top earners at present.
The Spaniard picks up an eye-watering £200k-per-week on Merseyside, and after three years has made only 97 appearances in all competitions following his £25m arrival from Bayern Munich.
Last season, the 32-year-old recorded 18 Premier League appearances, just nine more than Oxlade-Chamberlain, yet continues to reside as Klopp’s third-highest earner on £10.4m-per-year.
The two-time Champions League winner and seven-time Bundesliga winner will earn a total of £41.6m in wages alone as he plays out his fourth and final year of his contract with the Reds, making the total expenditure around the sum of £66m including his transfer fee.
Still, Thiago has cost Liverpool a lower amount than Oxlade-Chamberlain did during his time at the club, identifying two of the most frustrating, draining deals in the recent Anfield squad.
By leaving England, the 30-year-old closed his chapter in his homeland after representing Southampton, Arsenal and Liverpool, in a 13-year professional spell that amounted to 48 goals and £50.8m generated in wages alone.
All in all, the Portsmouth-born midfielder failed to make an adequate impact at either club, departing Anfield having rinsed the Reds for millions with little in return.