Southampton's academy has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Premier League sides looking for the next big thing, and that was the case on August 8, 2011 when Arsenal signed then-17-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The midfielder was coming off the back of a breakthrough season with the Saints, scoring 10 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for the League One side, helping them finish second in the table to win promotion to the Championship.
© Getty Images
At the end of the season, Oxlade-Chamberlain's father, former England international Mark Chamberlain, admitted that he would like his son to move to Arsenal to continue his development, resulting in much transfer speculation.
The teenager's move was finally confirmed two months later, with the undisclosed transfer fee reported to be in the region of £12m, rising to as much as £15m with add-ons.
© Getty Images
Oxlade-Chamberlain became the second Southampton academy graduate in Arsenal's squad, joining ex-Saints winger Theo Walcott, who had moved to the Gunners in 2006.
It did not take the Englishman long to make his debut for the club, coming off the bench a few days after his 18th birthday in a match against Manchester United, which Arsenal went on to lose 8-2.
Replacing Francis Coquelin in the 62nd minute of the thrashing at Old Trafford, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the 150th player to represent Arsenal in the Premier League.
Oxlade-Chamberlain continued to see increased game time for Arsenal, and scored his first goal for the club in September, driving the ball in from 25 yards out in a League Cup win over Swindon Town, before opening the scoring against Olympiacos on his Champions League debut a week later.
The winger's first season with the Gunners helped him secure his first call-up to the senior England side, as he was included in Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012, making his debut in a warm-up match against Norway.
© Getty Images
A groin injury prevented Oxlade-Chamberlain from securing his first silverware as an Arsenal player in 2014, keeping him out of the team's FA Cup final win over Hull City, but he was involved a year later as Arsene Wenger's side defended their title, coming on as a substitute to provide an assist for Olivier Giroud in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
In total, Oxlade-Chamberlain has made 40 league appearances for Arsenal, scoring six goals, and earned 20 caps for his country.
