Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signs for Celtic – What will he bring to Glasgow side?

Free agent 

Midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed a short-term contract with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. The Englishman has been a free agent since leaving Turkish side Beşiktaş in the summer, and has been keeping his fitness up by training with former club and current Premier League leaders Arsenal in recent months. He has put pen to paper on a six-month deal plus an option to extend. Oxlade-Chamberlain has a current market value of just €1.5 million.

Oxlade-Chamberlain spoke of his delight at joining Celtic, and revealed that speaking to Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney was enough to convince him of the move. “It’s been a busy few days but I’m delighted and really excited,” he told CelticTV. “Speaking with the manager, it just felt like the perfect fit for me and I feel like I can come in and help out the lads.

“Just talking to the manager, and Shaun Maloney as well, who told the expectations on the club and what it means to play here, what our targets are and that he’s going to push me. That’s all the stuff I identify with and that’s the environment I’ve always been in and been lucky enough to be in. It’s exactly what I need. I need another challenge and lucky enough at a massive club like this. And they can help me get back to where I need to get to and, more importantly, I need to help the team achieve the goals we want to do.”

Hoops boss O’Neill confirmed his interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain earlier this week and is delighted to have strengthened his squad with the ex-Liverpool star: “We are really pleased to bring Alex to Celtic. He still has so much to offer the game, and I am sure he can add another dimension to us with his great ability and wealth of experience in the game,” the Northern Irishman said. “Above all, he is passionate and excited about this move himself so we are welcoming a great player who is hungry to help us achieve as much as we can.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain started his career at South-coast club Southampton and joined Arsenal in 2011, when he was just a teenager. He went on to win three FA Cups with the Gunners, but joined Liverpool for €38 million, which remarkably stills stands as Arsenal’s record sale to this day. He then helped the Reds win the Champions League, Premier League, League Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup. However, Oxlade-Chamberlain also suffered several injury setbacks throughout his career including knee ligament damage that kept him out for a year from April 2018.

A hamstring injury during pre-season in July 2022 then led to a three-month lay-off, with Oxlade-Chamberlain making only nine Premier League appearances in his final campaign with the Merseysiders. The England international joined Besiktas in 2023 and made 46 appearances, scoring five goals. If he can stay fit, Oxlade-Chamberlain will certainly add a wealth fo experience to Celtic as they look to chase down Hearts for the Scottish Premiership title.