Jurgen Klopp will have had his mind made up on Sunday after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against Nottingham Forest. The Liverpool star will enter the final year of his contract next season and the transfer window beckons.

Liverpool star Oxlade-Chamberlain might just have played his final game for the club after his miserable display against Forest. The midfielder really struggled to make much of an impact on a rare outing for the Reds.

Diogo Jota proved the difference in a close-fought FA Cup clash between the two historic sides at the City Ground. The Portuguese striker’s effort was narrowly ruled onside by VAR to set up a semi-final against Manchester City.

It was a chance for Klopp to give his fringe players a chance with Naby Keita, Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas all coming into the side. Oxlade-Chamberlain also returned to the first-team having played in just one of the previous seven matches.

But the former Arsenal star was hauled off just after the hour mark with Liverpool chasing a winner. As he came off, he was spotted saying “I haven’t played in weeks” and it is easy to see why.

Such shows of petulance do not often go down well with Klopp and can even lead to exits. The summer transfer window might just give all parties the perfect time to go their separate ways.

Oxlade-Chamberlain will enter the final 12 months of his contract next season and it might be best for his career to leave. While he has made a respectable 29 appearances this campaign across all competitions, it would be fair to say his Liverpool stint has hardly took off.

Finding a suitor for the 28-year-old might prove difficult considering his injury record but there have been whispers that a return to Southampton could be on the cards. The midfielder exploded onto the scene as a teenager at St. Mary’s, where he scored 10 times in 43 appearances.

But it might leave a tinge of regret for the England international to leave Anfield under such circumstances, having been the chance to shine this season. The departure of Georginio Wijnaldum last summer meant there was a place up for grabs in Klopp’s midfield.

Despite the experience of both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita, it might just be that Harvey Elliott is the long-term answer. The 18-year-old might want to play further forward, though, and he is more effective as an attacking talent up top.

It means that Klopp might have to dip into the transfer window to find a true successor to Wijnaldum, who joined Paris Saint-Germain. Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham would be a dream purchase while Leicester’s Youri Tielemans and Barcelona ace Gavi have also been mentioned.