‘Oh, OK. Thanks’ – Ex-Liverpool star reveals ‘surprising lack of communication’ from Klopp over exit | OneFootball

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jurgen Klopp talk tactics on the sidelines.

Former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain felt there was a “surprising lack of communication” from Jurgen Klopp over his exit in the summer.

The Reds released Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner at the same time with their contracts expiring at the end of June.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s time at Liverpool was plagued by injury and inconsistency after making the move from Arsenal in a deal worth £35m in 2017.

The 30-year-old, who moved to Turkish side Besiktas on free transfer in the summer, spent the majority of his time on the bench at Liverpool with the England international never starting more than 17 Premier League matches in a season for the Reds.

Speaking about the latter stages of his time at Liverpool, Oxlade-Chamberlain told The Athletic: “Some of the younger players were getting an opportunity to be involved, getting them ready for years to come, which I understand.

“I just guess you want that communicated to you because you start going out of your mind thinking, ‘What more can I do here?’. And it was never really written off that you’re not getting offered a new contract.

“It was never said (that he wouldn’t get a new deal). I obviously got the picture (laughs).

“I got told before they released the statement (three days before that Villa game): ‘Just so you know, we’re putting this out about you, Milly, Bobby and Naby leaving’. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Thanks’. But there was nothing official at any point before. It was just… the silence was enough to know what the situation was.

“You just… expect certain things to be told — whether it’s good, bad, whatever, that’s how the game goes. The lack of communication was… a bit surprising.”

On his relationship with Klopp, the former Liverpool midfielder added: “We (he and Klopp) had a good relationship. There was never any falling-out or anything like that.

“I understand as a manager it’s not easy to navigate every player’s needs, but when I was playing, I definitely enjoyed him a lot more than when I wasn’t even on the bench (laughs). But that’s how it goes.

“The longer I play the game, the more I realise you’re just an entity in the grand scheme of a business really. There will be many more after us and there were many more before, people who have had great experiences.

“I had great, great times at Liverpool. I couldn’t say anything bad about my time there. I wouldn’t even say it ended badly. At the end of the day, the club is bigger than any one player. Sometimes there’s bigger fish to fry.”