Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shows where his loyalties lie with Arsenal and Liverpool comment

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed that his time at Arsenal was the happiest period of his life, despite his successful tenure at Liverpool. The English midfielder represented both Premier League powerhouses earlier in his career. Having advanced through the Southampton academy, he transferred to Arsenal in 2011 and made a total of 198 appearances for the north London club, contributing to their three FA Cup victories. In 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Liverpool for a fee of £35million.

His time at Anfield was marked by significant success, with victories in the Premier League, Champions League, the League Cup and the Club World Cup. Speaking on the Fozcast, the now 32-year-old explained that while his personal life was more fulfilling during his Arsenal days, his professional career was certainly more rewarding at Liverpool.

He explained: "[On the time he most enjoyed his football] I was happiest in a sense of life, at Arsenal. I had a lot of friends - I had a lot of mates from back home who were at university, didn't have kids, didn't have wives, so they were always coming to the games.

"We had a good group of young players at Arsenal - me, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Carl Jenkinson - these sort of lads who were all young, doing the same thing, at the same time, and just loving it and having a great time."

"From a football aspect, a couple of seasons at Liverpool were just unbelievable. I was playing with a group of lads to achieve something special, and when you achieve that something special, you realise, 'This is what it's all about'.

"The 18/19 season and then the year we won the league - 19/20 - those were, from a footballing point of view - the best years I've had in a group of lads that I saw every day working hard to achieve something - and we did.

"The fans there, everything about that place was just amazing and special. It was the happiest [I was] but I had times at Liverpool where it was the toughest. Especially in the last year, or two, the year I was injured in 2018, and then the last two where, I was fighting to play and then not playing as much."

"From a lifestyle point of view and not thinking too much, Arsenal was unbelievable. An amazing club, a great place to be, great players, and you're in London - it's great fun. Then the couple of years at Liverpool was just amazing."

The midfielder has actually made a return to Arsenal this week, having been offered the opportunity to train with the Gunners to maintain his match fitness. He remains a free agent following his departure from Besiktas.