Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury history detailed as Leeds United move tipped amid dispute
Daniel Farke may need to reconsider adding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the Leeds United squad this summer.
The Whites are preparing for a difficult 2025/26 campaign in the Premier League after winning automatic promotion from the Championship last term, making some sensible purchases in the transfer market.
Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, and Sebastiaan Bornauw appear to have slotted straight into the first-team set-up, with Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sean Longstaff, Anton Stach, and Lucas Perri finding their feet.
Very few exits have been sealed from Elland Road over the last few weeks, and the manager clearly feels the majority of his squad will be vital, though Patrick Bamford does not have a future at Leeds.
According to The Sun (5 August), Elland Road could now be a possible destination for Besiktas’ Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is locked in talks with the Turkish club over terminating his contract.
He has reportedly fallen out of favour with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but has rejected the proposed exit terms amid the ongoing dispute.
Leeds United to watch out for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injuries
The 31-year-old is known in the Premier League as one of the most injury-prone players, and those at Arsenal and Liverpool will not be surprised to learn that he is back on the sidelines.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been on the sidelines since May, missing Besiktas’ final three matches of the league campaign, and has not been available for the club’s friendly fixtures this summer.
This was not his first setback, however, having suffered a torn thigh muscle in December 2023, which saw him miss almost a century of days for the Turkish giants. A huge disappointment for the Englishman.
Liverpool and Arsenal spells plagued by injuries
Besiktas should not have been surprised by Oxlade-Chamberlain’s long-term injuries, though, having picked up multiple throughout his career back in England, with Liverpool and Arsenal.
During his time at the Emirates Stadium, the midfielder missed five months in 2013 due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury, spending five months on the sidelines, as well as a couple of other setbacks.
The hamstring, groin, and knee all presented him with issues before finally earning a move to Anfield, where his issues only continued, rather than settling as he developed.
In April 2018, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury against AS Roma in the Champions League, which saw him miss over 300 days, having to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery before returning in March 2019.
That issue continued to hinder him until Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up another setback to his knee in August 2020, which forced him to miss another 114 days, returning in December 2020.
Farke needs players that he can depend on if the Whites are going to survive the dropzone next season, and while Oxlade-Chamberlain is a very talented player, he cannot be depended on to remain fit.