The silence was enough’ – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opens up on how he left Liverpool as the former Arsenal starlet searches for new club after Besiktas exit

When Alex Oxlade Chamberlain first walked through the doors of Melwood back in the summer of 2017, Liverpool fans were buzzing with excitement. Here was a young English starlet from Arsenal who had shown flashes of brilliance, a player with pace, power, energy and the ability to score spectacular goals. Jürgen Klopp wanted him, the fans welcomed him, and the stage was set for a new chapter in his career. What followed over the next six years was a rollercoaster ride full of trophies, injuries, comebacks and heartbreaks. But now, years after his departure, Oxlade Chamberlain has finally opened up about the way things ended for him at Liverpool and his words tell a story of silence, confusion and disappointment, a story that many footballers know too well but few ever speak about so openly.

Oxlade Chamberlain made 146 appearances for Liverpool and scored 18 goals, but numbers cannot capture the full story of his time on Merseyside. He was part of the side that won the Champions League in 2019, the Premier League in 2020, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Carabao Cup. He was there for the moments that defined Klopp’s Liverpool, from the unforgettable European nights at Anfield to the parade through the streets of the city when Liverpool ended their thirty year wait for the league title. And yet, behind the trophies and celebrations, there was always a shadow of injuries. Cruciate ligament tears, muscle problems, setbacks and long periods of rehabilitation robbed him of the chance to truly cement himself as a starter. Every time he looked like he was about to explode back into the spotlight, something seemed to hold him back.

And then came the end. Oxlade Chamberlain left Liverpool in 2023, but the way it happened has now been described by him as nothing short of silence. In his interview with The Athletic, he explained that he was never really told face to face that his time at the club was ending. There was no formal conversation, no sit down meeting where plans were discussed, no emotional goodbye talk. Instead, there was silence. For months, no words were spoken about his future, and then, just days before the official club statement, he was told casually that an announcement would be made saying he, James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita were all leaving. “The silence was enough,” he said. Those words cut deep because they reveal a truth about football that fans don’t always see. For the players, this is not just a job, it is their life. To give six years to a club, to fight through injuries, to celebrate victories and suffer defeats with teammates, and then to be told in such a quiet, distant way that it is over, it leaves a wound that does not heal easily.

He explained that he had no fallout with Klopp. In fact, he said he always had a good relationship with the manager, especially during the times when he was playing regularly. But he admitted that as soon as he was not even making the bench, it was much harder to enjoy things. Still, he expected at least basic communication, some honesty, some words to guide him. Football is ruthless, but players, even in the cutthroat world of the Premier League, are still human beings. Chamberlain’s disappointment came not from leaving, but from how it was handled.

It is worth remembering that Oxlade Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal at a moment when he wanted to prove himself. At Arsenal, he was the eternal promise, the player with talent who never quite became a consistent starter. When he chose Liverpool, he turned down Chelsea because he wanted to play in midfield, not as a wing back. Klopp gave him that chance and for a while it looked like the perfect match. In the 2017/18 season, Chamberlain played a crucial role in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final. Who can forget his thunderbolt goal against Manchester City in the quarter final at Anfield? The crowd roared, Klopp punched the air, and Chamberlain stood tall, finally proving his worth on the biggest stage. But then injury struck against Roma in the semi final, ruling him out of the final and the World Cup. That was the story of his Liverpool career in one painful snapshot – promise, performance, injury, absence.

When Liverpool lifted the Champions League trophy in Madrid a year later, Oxlade Chamberlain was part of the squad but not on the pitch to influence it. When they stormed to the Premier League title in 2020, he contributed more, playing 43 games and scoring eight goals that season, his most productive year at the club. But injuries kept pulling him back. He fought, he trained, he rehabbed, but the rhythm of consistency never returned fully. Klopp valued his energy, his professionalism, his attitude in training, but football at the highest level is unforgiving.

So when the 2022/23 season came to an end, Liverpool announced that four players would be leaving. Milner, the vice captain and leader in the dressing room. Firmino, the smiling Brazilian magician who was the heart of Klopp’s front three. Keita, the talented but inconsistent midfielder. And Chamberlain, the warrior who gave everything but whose body never fully cooperated. They all received a send off at Anfield in the final home game. The crowd applauded, the banners waved, the songs rang out. But behind the scenes, Chamberlain admits he never had that official conversation that he deserved.

After leaving Liverpool, Chamberlain signed for Besiktas as a free agent in the summer of 2023. It was supposed to be a new adventure, a fresh start in Turkey. But once again, things did not go as planned. Under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who is now Arne Slot’s assistant at Liverpool, Chamberlain found himself frozen out. He struggled to get game time, and when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came in to replace Van Bronckhorst, there were more opportunities, but still not enough stability. Eventually, in July 2025, his contract was terminated by mutual agreement. Once again, he found himself searching for a new club, a new chance, a new chapter.

Now at 32, Chamberlain is not the rising star of English football anymore, but he still believes he has something to give. There are reports linking him with a return to the Premier League, with clubs like Leeds United showing interest. Championship side Birmingham City are also believed to be keen. But the uncertainty is heavy. Players at his age, especially with his injury record, often struggle to find top clubs willing to take the risk. Yet Chamberlain insists he is fit, motivated, and ready to contribute.

What makes his story so powerful is not just the trophies or the injuries, but the human side of it. He admitted he always tried to be a good person around the staff, the players, the environment. He wanted to be a positive influence even when he wasn’t playing. And in football, that matters more than people realise. Dressing room harmony, squad spirit, those are the things that make champions. Chamberlain was part of that, even when he wasn’t starting. To feel that silence at the end, to feel that his journey was concluded with almost no words, that is why his story resonates.

Fans often only see the highlights, the goals, the celebrations. They don’t see the endless hours in the gym during rehab, the mental battles of watching from the stands while teammates fight on the pitch, the awkward conversations or in this case the lack of conversations when contracts expire. Chamberlain lifting the lid on this shows us once again that football is not just about glory, it is also about respect.

As he looks for his next club, Chamberlain is carrying lessons from both Arsenal and Liverpool. From Arsenal, he learned about the pressures of being a young English talent in the Premier League. From Liverpool, he learned about the highs of winning trophies and the lows of injury and communication breakdowns. His career may not have gone the way he dreamed when he was a teenager at Southampton bursting onto the scene, but very few careers follow a straight path. The journey is always messy, unpredictable, sometimes painful.

When he stood in the Anfield tunnel for the last time as a Liverpool player, he might have smiled and waved, but inside he probably felt that silence. The silence of knowing it was over, the silence of not having the words he wanted to hear, the silence that spoke louder than any statement could. And now, as he waits for the phone to ring with a new opportunity, that silence lingers, but so does hope.

Because football has a way of giving players one last chance, one last dance. Maybe it will be Leeds, maybe Birmingham, maybe somewhere abroad again. Maybe it will be a role where he is no longer the star but the experienced mentor, guiding younger players through the journey he once walked. What is clear is that Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is not done yet, and his story, full of triumphs and struggles, still has another chapter to be written.

For Liverpool, his exit was one of many that summer, but for Chamberlain it was the end of a huge part of his life. That is why the way it happened mattered so much. In football, communication is everything. A player can accept leaving, can accept being released, but what they can never accept is being ignored. Chamberlain’s words remind us of that truth.

And maybe one day, when he looks back at his career, he will not focus on the silence at the end. He will remember the roar of Anfield when his shot flew past Ederson against Manchester City. He will remember the medals, the parades, the friendships, the songs. He will remember Klopp’s smile when he returned from injury and scored again. He will remember that for a time, he was part of one of the greatest Liverpool sides in history.

But for now, he waits. And as he waits, his story serves as a lesson, not just for players but for clubs. Communication, respect, honesty – they cost nothing, but they mean everything.