Cape Town - Arsene Wenger has questioned whether Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made the right decision in swapping Arsenal for Liverpool.
Oxlade-Chamberlain will make his Arsenal return when Liverpool head to the Emirates on Friday after the England international moved to Anfield in a £35million deal last summer.
With only one year remaining on his Arsenal contract, Oxlade-Chamberlain decided to join Liverpool in order to secure regular first-team football.
However, he has only started five Premier League games so far this season and after an unconvincing start to his Liverpool career, Wenger has suggested that the 24-year-old would have been better penning a new deal at Arsenal.
"Is he sure of a place there? You are sure of a place nowhere," said Wenger.
"In a big club you have big competition with some good players. That is absolutely normal. What do you want to be, a big player and not have to fight?
"You can’t be a big player, sit in your rocking chair and say ‘I do not want to fight’. It doesn’t work like that. Every player has to fight.
"At the start of the season we had four players with one year to go and I wanted him to extend his contract.
"Yes, he decided to go and we respect that. He made his decision and we had to find a compromise to get the best possible transfer fee.
"I personally think he will be an important player for England and that he will continue to develop."