Celtic confirm signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain until end of the season

Celtic have announced the signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The ex-Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder has joined the club on a contract until the summer, with an option for a further year, subject to international clearance.

The 32-year-old, who has 35 caps for England, has been a free agent since his release from Turkish giants Besiktas last August after he was frozen out of the squad by ex-Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The Champions League winner will be hoping to add more silverware to his already medal-laden career with a trip north of the border, as the Hoops continue their fight for the title with Hearts and Rangers.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was expected to have a medical with the club over the weekend ahead of the move being finalised.

The midfielder came through the ranks of Southampton’s academy before going on to play for them, making 43 appearances and scoring ten goals.

That form earned him a move to Arsenal in 2011, and he spent six years with the club, making nearly 200 appearances for the club and winning three FA Cups.

In 2017, he joined Liverpool, and over the next six years with the Anfield side, he won the Premier League, the League Cup, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

He then moved to the Turkish side, Besiktas, in 2023, where he picked up a Turkish Cup winner’s medal at the end of that season.

In his 35 games for England, he has scored seven goals, including one at Hampden in a 1-0 victory over Scotland in a World Cup qualifying match.

Having been training with Arsenal over the past few months, Alex has now made the move north to join Celtic.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill said: “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.

“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.”

Speaking to Celtic TV, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spoke of his delight at joining Celtic, and revealed that chatting to Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney was enough to convince him of the move, along with some persuasive words from a couple of Celtic-supporting friends in Joe Hart and Andy Robertson.

“It’s been a busy few days, but I’m delighted and really excited,” he said. “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.”