Jeff Stelling says Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Birmingham City move is a ‘no brainer’, but there’s a catch

Add as preferred source on Google

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been linked with a move to Birmingham City, and two huge voices in British football have urged him to sign for the Blues.

The former England international, who earned 35 Three Lions caps between 2012 and 2019, has been playing for Besiktas since 2023 when he signed following the expiration of his Liverpool contract.

Birmingham have already had an impressive transfer window, bringing home Demarai Gray among other exciting signings. On Monday, The Mirror linked the Blues with another compelling target, reporting the Championship club want to sign the 32-year-old.

The former Premier League player has had limited game time in Turkey due to struggles with injury. Now though, he is back fit and ready for the new season, and the potential move has been backed by talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling, who discussed the transfer report live on air on Tuesday.

Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling want Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sign for Chris Davies’ side

Birmingham fans have been excited by the news of a potential return to England for the former Liverpool midfielder, and talkSPORT presenters McCoist and Stelling both echoed their thoughts on their Breakfast show.

Speaking about his links to Brum, Rangers icon McCoist said: “I like him, he’s another one of these players you want to see keep fit and get a run at it [back in England].”

Stelling agreed with his co-host as he backed ‘lovely bloke’ Oxlade-Chamberlain to make the move to St Andrew’s.

• READ MORE – Birmingham City’s hopes of signing Aleksandar Mitrovic revealed as return to England mooted

“He’s a lovely bloke,” he said. “I know that’s not relevant at all. But obviously his partner and three-year-old son are in this country.

“It’s a no brainer.”

Chamberlain would come in and compete for a spot in Birmingham’s starting XI and the Blues need another player to swap in for defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata when needed.

Davies and co. are building a team with the Premier League in mind, so squad depth to allow for rotations will be vital. Oxlade-Chamberlain would be the perfect fit for that.

Besiktas contract an issue for former Liverpool ace’s return to England

EFL Analysis football correspondent Graeme Bailey understands Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Besiktas contract situation could be a problem when it comes to his potential return to England with deadline day on the horizon.

The Mirror report says the Turkish Super Lig club are ‘likely to let him go’ if they find the right deal.

The Turkish outfit were meant to let him go for nothing this summer and last month EFL Analysis reported Besiktas would cancel Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract – however this is yet to happen.

He has a year left on his deal.

EFL Analysis reported the midfielder’s former club Southampton have been made aware of his situation, while Leicester, Ipswich, Birmingham, Sheffield United, Coventry and Stoke were also informed.

The ex-Arsenal star came through the Saints’ academy and left in 2011 for the Emirates.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is yet to play any minutes this season amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his future, but with a Premier League title, four FA Cups and one League Cup under his belt, he’s exactly the pedigree of player Birmingham should sign.