'I played well in midfield but always be placed elsewhere' - Ox on Arsenal move

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has insisted there were no feelings of 'I told you so' towards Arsenal after his move to Liverpool resulted in Champions League success.

The Englishman brought the curtain down on a six-year stay at the Emirates Stadium as he made the surprise switch to a Premier League rival in the summer of 2017.

Considering that the Reds had only secured Champions League qualification for the second time in eight years the season before, it was a transfer that appeared laden with risk for the player.

Crucially, though, they had ended in the Gunners' 17-year stint in the competition in the process, and went on to reach the next two finals, winning the latter against Tottenham in Madrid.

Oxlade-Chamberlain did not view that victory as vindication, however, simply because his reasons for moving did not actually relate to trophy prospects.

“I wouldn't say I wanted to leave Arsenal because I didn't believe we could win," he said.

“I just didn't believe I was going to be able to play where I wanted to play and that was it.

“Me winning the Champions League was obviously a dream come true and a massive bonus but I didn't feel like 'Ah, I told you so' [at Arsenal].”

Oxlade-Chamberlain went on to explain the depth of his affection for Arsenal, describing leaving the London club as the hardest call of his life.

But he underlined a desire to play in central midfield more regularly as the key to his departure for Merseyside.

“It was a big decision for me to leave a club like Arsenal. It was everything I knew at the top level for seven years," he added.

“When you've been at a club like that for seven years… it's a club where you love being and it's more than just a football club, it's a family culture.

“When I had to make the decision to leave, it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make and to be honest there was a part of me that didn't know if it was the right thing.

“I feel a lot of my best performances for Arsenal came in midfield but I never played consistently in that position.

“The first game of that season I switched with Hector [Bellerin]. First game I played on the left [wing-back], he played on the right and second game we switched.

“I thought 'I've got to take the risk, I've got to take the chance. I don't want to look back at the end and think I didn't try.'”