Liverpool new boy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to show Arsenal what they could have had

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It is fair to say that new signings are generally greeted with a sense of excitement at Liverpool and sometimes a heightened one in comparison to other clubs.

We are not talking Istanbul Airport arrivals lounge levels of mass hysteria, mind, but often a keenly-felt hope that this new player is the player; the missing link; a transformative purchase.

The club’s most recent recruit was not heralded as the final piece of anybody's puzzle, though. If anything, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's arrival from Arsenal in exchange for £35million back in August was a transfer that provoked more questions than it provided answers

Where would he fit in? Was he too old to make good on his apparent potential? Most of all, with adequate alternatives ahead of him in each of his preferred positions, why?

Gradually, those questions are being answered. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s display against Bournemouth on Sunday was not his first good performance for his new club, and it was not enough to conclusively cast all doubts aside, but it was perhaps enough to finally make Liverpool fans feel optimistic about his arrival.

Jürgen Klopp has had to show patience with his newest recruit. Oxlade-Chamberlain put in a particularly wretched display when handed his first start in September’s EFL Cup defeat at Leicester City, after which one version of his ‘lowlights’ reel clocked up almost 3 million views on social media.

The 24-year-old was left to mull on the performance for some time before Klopp gave him another chance to impress. A first Premier League start only came a month and a half later in early November, away to a ramshackle West Ham United. Out on right wing, amid a performance of much hurrying and scurrying, a fortunate but welcome goal came. His next league start followed a few weeks later against Chelsea. This time, it was in central midfield and he delivered a genuinely impressive performance.

At the Vitality Stadium on Sunday though, he finally looked like he belonged. Deployed centrally again, Oxlade-Chamberlain showed a level of understanding and cohesion with his team-mates that suggested he is beginning to adapt to life at Liverpool. Others were perhaps more deserving of the man-of-the-match award but then excellence is expected of Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah every week. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s display felt more significant.

One moment stood out in particular. As Jordon Ibe attempted to carry the ball out of his own half, Oxlade-Chamberlain charged him down, put in an inch-perfect slide tackle, retained the ball, returned to his feet, surged forward and then struck a shot against the outside of the near post. In the space of around five seconds, he had turned a safe Bournemouth possession into a clear-cut Liverpool chance, through sheer hard work more than anything else.

It was exactly the sort of thing Klopp demands from his midfield, exactly the sort of thing his midfield has often missed this season and exactly what Oxlade-Chamberlain needed to do in order to kick-start his Anfield career.

When he arrived, he made it clear he wanted a central midfield berth even though Emre Can and Georginio Wijanldum seemed settled in the position. Both had just enjoyed superb displays in the dominant win over Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain's final game for his former employers. After a listless display out on the left wing, the chances of him displacing any member of Liverpool's starting line-up appeared slim.

Can and Wijnaldum have since gone off the boil though, playing without their usual levels of energy and invention in the middle of the park. Oxlade-Chamberlain has had to be patient but now the form of those around him has waned, he appears to have taken his chance. It was always thought that he would buy into his new manager's methods, given how he turned down a more lucrative salary from Chelsea in order to move to Anfield, but for him to emerge as perhaps the best-suited and most dedicated adherent to counter-pressing in Klopp’s midfield is more of a surprise.

There were questions over whether he could fill the role when he arrived. Klopp himself seemed to be reluctant to use him in the middle but for this particular job, he has the right physical skill-set - a low centre of gravity, impressive stamina and nimble feet. His mind-set has impressed too. Oxlade-Chamberlain could easily have allowed his head to drop during his string of appearances off the bench and long wait for a league start. Recent evidence suggests he did not.

On Friday, he returns to Arsenal for the first time since leaving north London. Having witnessed years of false dawns and runs down blind alleys, the Emirates and Arsene Wenger should now see an Oxlade-Chamberlain that is rising to a challenge rather than treading water, one who now looks more likely to fulfil his potential than he did before.

He may have received a mixed reception initially, but Liverpool supporters are finally excited to see what comes next from their new signing and hope he shows his old club what they could have had.