Oxlade-Chamberlain signing fits Celtic’s love of revival acts, but building a title run on out-of-favour loans and free transfers is questionable, Andy McDougall explains
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Celtic is an unlikely story and one that has the potential to both excite and concern fans of Glasgow’s green and white. In isolation, the free agent is an experienced and relatively low-risk acquisition who could prove an incredible bargain, but having not played competitively since May, the possible downsides are clear at a time when Celtic have little margin for error.
At a crucial time in the season, this possible deal is a gamble that would be far more palatable if Celtic’s transfer window hadn’t resembled a blindfolded man sitting at a slot machine, needing a win for his taxi home and only starting to spin when the vehicle was outside and honking.
Celtic currently sit third in the SPFL Premiership, six points behind Hearts and three behind Rangers, although with a game in hand over both. The season has been chaotic and riddled with largely self-inflicted problems.
A difficult month to do business
It was in that context and with a squad suffering the effects of several years of mismanagement from a recruitment perspective that Celtic entered last month’s winter window.
Most could see what the squad needed positionally and, in order to not see the season slip away entirely, it was essential that any new arrivals could come in and hit the ground running.
It was with dismay and frustration, therefore, that fans of the Bhoys saw their club make just one signing before 22 January: right back Julián Araujo on loan from Bournemouth. Then came striker Tomáš Čvančara from Borussia Mönchengladbach, also on loan.
It wasn’t until the final hours of deadline day that Celtic were able to confirm any further business, scrambling around after missing out on other targets. Loans for Junior Adamu from Freiburg, Joel Mvuka from Lorient and Benjamin Arthur from Brentford looked to have completed the Hoops’ business.
Five bodies in the door should help Celtic in the title run in, but it is the nature of these deals which cause concern. Even ignoring the fact that all of the transfers are loans, with three having a buy option, the common denominator is that all five have either been out of favour or out of form at their clubs.
Another gamble with the season on the line
That means, at a time when a struggling Celtic squad is in desperate need of a boost and players who can make an instant impact, the club’s board have gambled the season on a handful of players who are short of either form or fitness or both.
It is correct to say that all transfers are gambles and that some players just need a change of scene to thrive, but for every single one of Celtic’s incomings at this particular time to fall into that category is symptomatic of how the club has been run in recent years.
That and how late the deals were done, despite most of the necessities being clear since the summer or before, and with key games against Rangers (lost) and Hearts (drawn) to prepare for in January.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would be another signing in that mould. The 32-year-old has been without a club since being released by Besiktas in the summer, but has been keeping himself fit by training with former club Arsenal.
The former England international would bring unquestionable experience and pedigree, as a Premier League and Champions League winner. However, after an injury-stricken spell in Turkey and six months without a club, there are huge question marks around his ability to still compete at the top level.
Advice from Joe Hart
At 32, though, Oxlade-Chamberlain should have a few years still left in him and if he is fit and motivated, Celtic could be the perfect setting to rejuvenate him. Just ask Joe Hart, and reportedly Oxlade-Chamberlain already has.
When his career looked to be winding up after a period on Spurs’ bench, Hart’s move to the Scottish champions caused some raised eyebrows, but, for 18 months at least, he was a big hit and became a popular figure in the stands and the dressing room. The former England goalkeeper raves about his time at Celtic Park and clearly relished being part of such a big club.
That’s what Celtic can offer – a huge stadium, a passionate global fanbase, European nights and a culture of winning – and while some players find that pressure overwhelming, for others it is revitalising. Oxlade-Chamberlain might well be one of those players who thrives in such an environment and who needs that motivation at this stage in his career.
That is why signing Oxlade-Chamberlain could be viewed simultaneously from two different angles: on the one hand, the exciting potential for another redemption story, but on the other, this risky, scattergun approach to transfer business is symptomatic of the club’s problems.
Oxlade-Chamberlain could undergo Celtic medical today
The transfer window may be closed, but Celtic’s business may not be over with the somewhat surprising news that former England star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could undergo a medical as early as today ahead of a free agent move.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has spoken recently of his interest in the player, but downplayed the likelihood of any deal.
However, Sky Sports reported on Thursday that talks between the two parties have advanced and the player could undergo a medical in London today with a view to being registered in time to feature in Celtic’s Europa League play-off tie against Stuttgart.