According to The Mirror, West Ham United youngster Reece Oxford will join Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach on loan for the 2017-18 campaign.
What’s the story?
Oxford, 18, is widely regarded as one of the brightest talents in English football, and he was linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal before signing a new four-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham towards the end of 2016.
The midfielder, who can also play at centre-back, made headlines on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 campaign when he started against Arsenal.
Much was expected of the teenager from that moment, but he failed to make a single league appearance for West Ham last term, and ended the season on loan with Reading, making five appearances for the Championship outfit.
According to The Mirror, West Ham believe that another loan move would aid Oxford’s development, and will send the youngster to Monchengladbach for the 2017-18 campaign.
Why would Oxford move abroad?
There is no question that a number of Championship clubs, and indeed some Premier League teams, would be interested in taking Oxford on loan next season.
The 18-year-old is in desperate need of first-team football, however, and a disappointing loan spell at Reading in the second half of the 2016-17 campaign will be fresh in West Ham’s memory.
Joe Hart is a recent example of an Englishman that chose to move abroad in a bid to sample a different style of football, and a year in Germany might be just what Oxford needs at this stage of his career.
The midfielder certainly has the frame to operate in the Bundesliga, which is the closest major European league in terms of style to the Premier League.
Oliver Burke impressed at RB Leipzig after leaving Nottingham Forest last summer, and West Ham could welcome back a new and mature Oxford, ready for first-team football, ahead of the 2018-19 season.
