Will the Penny Finally Drop for Oxlade-Chamberlain this season?

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career could have gone one of two ways at the start of the summer. Pep Guardiola had reportedly earmarked the versatile midfielder as one of his primary transfer targets at Manchester City and it could have been an easy decision to push for a move to link up with one of the most coveted managers of all-time.

After five seasons at Arsenal - where little improvement has been seen - many believed this would have been the right time for Chamberlain to continue his development elsewhere after reaching something of a crossroads in his career in north London. Instead, the 22-year-old will remain with Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger is under no illusions of the significance this season holds to the rest of his career.

“It’s a very important season for him,” Wenger admitted after Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara in pre-season, in which Chamberlain was on the scoresheet. “He has been out for a long, long time.” The England international has arguably been one of Arsenal’s brightest players during their tour of the US this summer after adding a sublime solo goal against Chivas to his wonderfully taken chipped finish against Lens earlier in the tour.

Chamberlain is only just returning from another serious knee injury that left him dealing with major tournament heartbreak for the second time in as many years. Understandably, Wenger has been anxious in easing him back: “I hope I can get him through and fit for the start of the season,” Wenger continued. “[He gives us] power, penetration. He has it all. It’s difficult [to say] what he doesn’t have – that’s why I would like him to get to the level he can go to.”

This is a player that Wenger clearly has a lot of affection for. A young talent the Frenchman would rather persevere with than chuck to the wayside. While the Arsenal manager struggled to find anything to fault in his footballing ability, the one hurdle Wenger believes Chamberlain is yet to overcome is in his head.

He broke onto the scene as an exciting 16-year-old at Southampton before securing a big money move to Arsenal in 2011 but the progress has been slower than expected. “Maybe he doesn’t completely believe himself how good he can be and that’s the final step for him," Wenger concluded.

It’s not the first time his mentality has been questioned. Back in February, after Chamberlain scored his first and only league goal last season against Bournemouth, Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness questioned Chamberlain’s application.

“Does he [Oxlade Chamberlain] take it seriously enough? Souness questioned. "He always seems to be a bit of a joker. There is a player in there. It’s stand up and be counted time." Chamberlain would only make one more appearance in the league before a knee injury ended his season at the end of February and ruled him out of Euro 2016.

The power and penetration that Wenger alluded to has been evident in parts of Chamberlain's performances down the years. In the last two Premier League campaigns he has required fewer minutes per successful dribble than any other player that made at least 15 appearances (every 20.3 mins). Only one forward player to have attempted at least 50 dribbles in that time has done so with greater success than Chamberlain (68%). It's not his ability to beat a man in a one-on-one situation that is cause for concern, but his end product, which has been nothing short of poor.

In the last two league campaigns Chamberlain has only registered one assist in 45 league appearances, with players such as Joey Barton (every 42 mins) and Bobby Zamora (36.4 mins) requiring fewer minutes per key pass than Chamberlain (44.6 mins) in that period.

Souness wasn’t the only ex-professional to poke fingers at Chamberlain’s career. Thierry Henry, who knows the midfielder well from his time as a coach at Arsenal, also offered a similarly damning assessment after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth in February.

"Is Oxlade-Chamberlain doing enough? I don’t think so,” Henry said on Sky Sports. “I think he is a talent, no doubt about it. He plays for England, he is at Arsenal for a reason, but I think he didn’t put a stamp on the team saying ‘this is my position'. You need to want it."

Seven goals and as many assists in his 100 league appearances is certainly a poor return for a player in his position, and the fact that he has made more appearances from the bench (51) than he has started league matches (49) since joining only reaffirms Henry's point that Chamberlain is still to leave his mark on the team.

Wenger's brief pursuit of Riyad Mahrez, who finished last season as WhoScored's highest rated player in the Premier League (7.84), would suggest that while Wenger wants Chamberlain to succeed, the clock is still ticking and his performances this season could decide whether he has a long-term future at the club.

With the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil all facing a race to be ready in time for the start of the season, coupled with Arsenal's struggles to get deals for Mahrez and Alexandre Lacazette over the line, Chamberlain could find himself with a real opportunity to put pressure on those ahead of him in the pecking order.

At 22, Chamberlain still has time to come good on his potential, but whether he does that at Arsenal remains to be seen. The Gunners start their season with a difficult fixture against Liverpool and are likely to be missing several key players, which would only put Chamberlain's performances under further microscopic attention.

Chamberlain hasn't played a competitive fixture in six months. He was forced to watch England's shambolic Euro 2016 campaign from his home. He's had the summer to mentally prepare for this season. It's time to stand up and be counted for, to borrow a phrase from Souness. It's time to see whether Chamberlain believes he is as good as Wenger thinks.

A slow start and it could prove to be another long season for Chamberlain.

Does Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have a long-term future at Arsenal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below