Matthew Le Tissier urges Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to make Southampton switch

Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier has urged Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to return to his former club in order to secure regular football. The 22-year-old midfielder has been in and out of the Arsenal side since he joined the club in 2011 and Le Tissier thinks his career may benefit from a move back to the south coast.

Oxlade-Chamberlain burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old at Southampton, quickly emerging as one of the most sought-after young players in the country. But Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled to cement a place in the starting eleven with the Gunners and Le Tissier thinks that in order to fulfil his undoubted potential, the midfielder may need to leave the Gunners.

"He's a very good player," Le Tissier said of the Arsenal star, according to The Mirror. "He's obviously suffered with injuries in the last couple of seasons so he's not really been a regular in that Arsenal side. If the boy wants to play regular first team football and be a first choice in the team then sure it's realistic, it's not like he'd be dropping down to the bottom half of the table."

Le Tissier thinks Southampton would be a sensible move for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is on the fringes of the team at Arsenal.

"He could join a team that are challenging for European places," he said of Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been persistently linked with a move away from Arsenal in recent weeks. "OK, it's not the Champions League at the moment but we've certainly challenged for Europa League places over the past three seasons."