Reece Oxford looks to be pricing himself out of a move to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg following his recent loan spell.
But where has it all gone wrong for the player once dubbed ‘The New Bobby Moore’? It doesn’t seem so long ago that the 16-year-old made his Premier League debut against Arsenal. Such was the majesty of his display that he was awarded man of the match and numerous memes of him with Mesut Ozil in his pocket circulated on the internet.
https://twitter.com/_CarltonCole9/status/813516782971613190
What happened next is a familiar story to most, but in short, he disappeared from the first team and was awarded with a healthy £20,000 p/w contract. It seemed only a matter of time before he broke into the first team and became a regular starter under manager Slaven Bilic.
For numerous reasons (all of which you’ll know) Oxford’s career at West Ham hasn’t really panned out as prophesied. Yes, David Moyes was at fault for recalling him from his first loan spell in Germany. Yes, the club could have handled the situation better but Oxford and his agent need to take some responsibility too.
If reports are to be believed, he has made demands that are too rich for Augsburg. Apparently Oxford has asked for an increase in wages and to be released from his contract in the event of relegation. These ‘Big Time Charlie’ demands are completely unrealistic and out of touch with his current standing within the game.
Only three months ago his agent Aidy Ward spoke of how Oxford wanted to join Bayern Munich and emulate Jadon Sancho’s progress at Borussia Dortmund. This is the same Oxford who was playing in defence for an Augsburg team who narrowly avoided relegation and shipped eight goals in 90 minutes against Wolfsburg.
He may turn his nose up at lower level continental clubs and Championship suitors but that is the best that he can hope for. Oxford is not even deemed to be good enough to represent England in his age group anymore so thoughts of Champions League stardom need to be shelved.
If he’s not careful, he’ll find himself on the scrapheap alongside numerous other starlets who shone briefly but vanished into the abyss. He is no longer the future and he and his agent need to start thinking about the here and now.
Good job Kris