VERDICT
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was sensational against Manchester City on Sunday, and could soon make Liverpool fans forget about Philippe Coutinho.
BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks in his latest team of the week, questioned whether the former Arsenal midfielder could be the man, to be the next breakout star at Anfield following Coutinho’s departure.
With the Brazilian moving to Barcelona for £142million, Crooks is right to suggest Liverpool have a player capable of filling his boots already at the club.
Chamberlain joined in the summer for £35million, according to BBC Sport, from Arsenal and signed a £120,000-per-week deal with the Reds.
Liverpool fans welcomed the midfielder, mainly due to him rejecting Chelsea to choose them, but few thought he was capable of performing on the same level as Coutinho.
In fact, the 24-year-old had an embarrassing Christmas school visit with Liverpool as children revealed how much they loved his teammates ahead of him.
However, following his recent performance for Liverpool, including his last one in the 4-3 victory against Manchester City, the midfielder could end up being the most loved member of the Reds dressing room if he continues.
Chamberlain had a slow start to life at Liverpool, with Klopp easing him into the team, but has since made 30 appearances this season.
The midfielder, who gets played on either flank or in the centre, has scored four goals and registered four assists.
With 50% of those assist coming in his last two outings in Man of the Match worthy performances against Everton and Manchester City.
With the creative player already on four goals, he’s only two goals shy of his total at Arsenal last season, with the second-half of the campaign left to play.
Under Klopp, the 24-year-old makes the right decision when deciding whether to shoot or pass; as he had previously frustrated Gunners’ fans with his lack of footballing intelligence.
The England international’s passing overall is better, with his ability to play key passes at the right time, leading to goal scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Chamberlain, has always been comfortable on the ball, but Klopp seems to have taught him when it’s best to run at the defence and when it’s best to the lay ball off.
Considering it’s only January, the 24-year-old looks like a different player under Klopp, given how he has improved.
It’s only natural to think that the midfielder will continue to progress, which will enable him to contribute the same amount of goals and assists that Coutinho did on a regular basis.
Before departing to Barcelona, the creative Brazilian grabbed 12 goals and nine assists in 20 appearances across all competitions this season.
Chamberlain could easily be hitting these numbers, and if he performs like he did against Manchester City, he could beat those numbers.
This is why Liverpool fans could soon be forgetting about Coutinho and raving about Chamberlain instead.