Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will undergo a medical in Glasgow on Saturday ahead of his move to Celtic, marking the end of his return to former club Arsenal.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with Arsenal recently (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will undergo a medical on Saturday ahead of his move to Celtic. Oxlade-Chamberlain has been without a club since his contract with Besiktas ended in August, but it appears he has finally found a new club.
The 32-year-old midfielder has recently been training with his former club Arsenal to keep fit after returning from Turkey. His free agent status makes him an attractive prospect and he has been linked with Championship side Birmingham and Premier League club Leeds.
There is even a possibility that Arsenal could offer him a short-term contract until the end of the 2025-26 season after losing Mikel Merino to injury. However, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill confirmed in a press conference on Friday that the Scottish giants had won the title.
“I spoke to him this morning,” O’Neill said. “I think he wants to come. I think he will come. I thought he had a lot of options. There was talk at Arsenal that there might be some injuries. I’m glad he’s coming. I think he’ll have a medical tomorrow and everything is fine. I hope he signs up.”
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“I think the football club itself has persuaded him more than anything. Maybe we’ll have this conversation in the next 48 hours and he might see what the weather is like and come back.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain and his agent have held positive discussions in recent days about a move to Glasgow. However, because he joined after the player registration deadline, he will not play in Celtic’s most important Europa League game against Stuttgart on February 19th.
After the group stage, Celtic will face Germany in a two-legged play-off for a place in the last 16 of the Europa League. O’Neill’s side face Dundee in the Scottish Cup on Saturday night, ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership game against Livingston in which Oxlade-Chamberlain could make his debut.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain previously played for Besiktas (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
He joins Celtic’s Junior Adamu, Joel Mvuka and Benjamin Arthur, who signed in January after a turbulent season. Celtic are third in the Premiership, three points behind rivals Rangers and six points behind leaders Hearts.
Asked about Oxlade-Chamberlain on Tuesday, O’Neill said: “I’ve spoken to him and I’m sure he has plenty of options, probably somewhere near London. I’m very interested in that. I’m surprised people haven’t taken him up.”
“I think he was really excited about what we were talking about. He knows the club well and is a great friend of Joe Hart and Joe has spoken to him, not on our behalf. It’s something we’re interested in, but if it doesn’t happen, it won’t happen.”
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