Wenger surprised by Ox exit rumours

Cape Town - Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has expressed his surprise at the reports suggesting that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is looking to leave the club.

The 23-year-old winger is believed to have grown increasingly unhappy at the Emirates Stadium due to the lack of progress being made by Wenger's side.

The Gunners crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage for the seventh consecutive season after a humiliating 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich.

They were also beaten 3-1 by Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, which saw the north London giants drop out of the top four in the Premier League, putting their qualification for Europe's elite club competition under threat.

Commenting on the Oxlade-Chamberlain rumours, Wenger told a press conference on Thursday: 'I've not seen that, I'm surprised by that. I believe he has developed and is developing well at the moment. He's been given his chance.

'Personally, I rate him highly and shown that by standing by him. I personally wish he stays at the club because he is a very promising player. He looks to me like a player who has the values that we rate at this club.'

The Gunners next face champions Leicester City on Saturday in an English Premiership clash at the Emirates Stadium and will be looking to move forward from recent bad results.

Kick off is at 17:00.