Hendrie excited after transfer update on Birmingham and Oxlade-Chamberlain

da spicy bet： Birmingham City are looking to further strengthen their squad in their efforts to be promoted from the Championship back to the Premier League.

da fazobetai： The next target is former Arsenal, Liverpool and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who most recently played for Turkish side Besiktas. The Champions League winner has experience at the highest level of the game and would be a statement signing for the club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is reportedly looking for a move back to England after spending two seasons in Turkey.

Not only would Oxlade-Chamberlain be a good addition to the squad, but he may also come without costing a penny, currently working with Besiktas to terminate his contract and grant him the right to negotiate with any club. This means the only thing Birmingham will have to deal with are his personal terms, including his wages and potentially a signing-on fee.

Sky Sports pundit and former England and Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has spoken to Football League World about Birmingham’s transfer business and the possibility of signing Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“Birmingham just seem to be doing piece of business after piece of business, and you can understand why they’re attracting players of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s caliber.

“With the style they play and the formation that they’re using, you do think that would suit someone like Chamberlain. He can play in wide areas, he can come and play inside.”

Hendrie played over 250 appearances for Birmingham’s rivals and played in the derby on four occasions, going on to add: “I think this would be such a big signing for them, I really do. For their promotion push, this could be another big name entering the building for Birmingham City”.

Birmingham have already made major signings to their squad this window, like former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Oxlade-Chamberlain a worthwhile signing despite injury troubles

Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently unavailable as he is suffering from a knee injury sustained back in May. He’s expected to be available in the first few weeks of September, meaning he shouldn’t miss too much of a season with Birmingham, provided he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.

However, this isn’t a new issue, and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career has been plagued by knee injuries that have kept him out of football for prolonged periods of time.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Knee Injuries

Season (Club)

Days Missed

Games Missed

13/14 (Arsenal)

141

48

13/14

40

4

15/16

67

15

15/16

64

9

17/18 (Liverpool)

317

58

20/21

114

20

24/25 (Besiktas)

102*

12*

Total

845

166

* Currently Injured

The above table demonstrates how persistent the issue has been, and although he may be fit again in September, there’s no guarantee that the injury won’t recur.

He may be worth the punt however – even injured, such an experienced player can bring something to the dressing room. He has won nearly every domestic trophy available to him, including the Champions League and the Premier League. He also has promotion experience from the start of his career, as he helped Southampton get promoted into the Championship.

This experience will be invaluable for a team trying to push itself back into the Premier League. When fit, Oxlade-Chamberlain will help the team on the pitch, but if he gets injured, he will still be a massive boon to the squad.