Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed that the prospect of playing under Jurgen Klopp was a big factor behind his decision to reject a move to Chelsea.
The 24-year-old joined Liverpool on deadline day after turning down a £35 million switch to the Premier League champions.
In an interview with The Times, Oxlade-Chamberlain described the decision to leave Arsenal as the hardest of his career, but the midfielder admits he was keen to experience Klopp’s management style.
‘I want to get more out of myself,’ said the England international.
‘I could have stayed at Arsenal and progressed there maybe – you never know what can happen – but I felt the main thing was taking myself out of my comfort zone and really push myself to achieve as much as I can in a team and a position where I want to progress.
‘That’s why Liverpool shouted out for me.
‘Having been someone on the outside looking in, I couldn’t help but notice what the manager is doing here, and wondering what it would be like to play for a character like that.
‘He’s very inspirational, passionate, involved and intense. I felt that was something that could gee me up.
‘You can see from how the team play how he instils that intensity in the players. I feel like that kick up the backside would be good for me. Just meeting the manager for the first time reinforced that.
‘I could tell straight away he’s very warm, very close to the players.
‘The manager can take me up to the next level – I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that. He sees a lot of good things in me, but he also sees areas that he believes he can push me and develop. That excites me.’
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