Arsenal man reportedly receives £1.5m pay-off ahead of informal Gunners coaching role

The current vibe around Arsenal's training ground is quite likely to be a positive one after the Gunners' 2-0 victory against Burnley last weekend.

Mikel Arteta and his players have gone six points clear at the top of the Premier League table with eight wins from their opening 10 matches this season.

Undoubtedly, standards are kept rather high at London Colney as the Gunners go in search of a first title since their 2004 Invincibles side went unbeaten en route to Premier League glory.

Arsenal welcome record sale back to London Colney

It is perhaps why former Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has decided to return to the club's training base, working alongside the Under-21s, in a bid to keep fit following his release from Turkish club Besiktas.

Oxlade-Chamberlain represented the Gunners between 2011 and 2017 before joining Liverpool where he spent the next six years of his career.

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In Turkey, the 32-year-old was reportedly paid off by Besiktas after it was made clear by first-team boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he would no longer be in his plans.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is said to have received £1.5m to part ways with the Istanbul-based outfit one year before the expiry of his contract.

According to Sky Sports, Oxlade-Chamberlain is now back at Arsenal's training ground as he steps up his attempts to find a new club.

The former England international is available on a free transfer, although it is extremely unlikely Arsenal will offer the out-of-contract man a deal, despite his appearance at London Colney.

Oxlade-Chamberlain played almost 200 times for Arsenal and remains the club's biggest sale, commanding a £35m fee from Liverpool back in 2017.

The Gunners' U21 group is likely to benefit from the 32-year-old's vast experience at the top of the English game. Fellow Premier League clubs such as Leeds United, Manchester United and Liverpool have in recent seasons employed experienced pros coming to the end of their playing careers in hybrid coaching and playing roles, exclusively for the U21s.

Tom Huddlestone represented Man United's U21 side between 2022 and 2024 before hanging up his boots, while Jay Spearing and Jonny Howson have returned to Liverpool and Leeds, respectively, to undertake the aforementioned hybrid roles.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, Oxlade-Chamberlain probably still has more to offer a first-team environment having only recently turned 32, as opposed to going down the player-coach route just yet.