ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN: SMART BUSINESS OR A WORRYING SIGN?
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
At the end of another week of inactivity, Celtic finally announced their first signing of the season. After six months in green and white, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will return to the Lennoxtown training ground this morning.
He spoke on the official Celticplayer, saying,
“I’m really excited to be back and I’m looking forward to meeting up with the boys and getting to work ahead of what will hopefully be another successful season.”
It brings a bit of certainty to what Celtic’s midfield will look like next season. With Arne Engels likely to leave for a big fee, Reo Hatate looking to exit and Benjamin Nygren simply stating “we’ll see” when asked about his Celtic future after Sweden exited the World Cup, a major rebuild is needed in that area.
Oxlade-Chamberlain Announcement Brings Mixed Reactions
The reaction to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s signing has been somewhat mixed. In the reply section to the announcement, one user commented on X, “Could’ve been done about a month ago. No other suitable budget targets so they fall back to this.”
While another said, “Saracchi now.”
Of course, only time will tell whether the Englishman proves to be a success in the coming season. Last season, for all the hype, was rather underwhelming. Sure, he came up with two massive goals against Livingston and St Mirren, which in hindsight proved season-defining. Yet, across the piece, he made just nine league appearances, five of them being starts, with the two previously mentioned goals his only statistical contributions.
His performance at Ibrox in the 2-2 draw was underwhelming, with Hatate’s half-time introduction proving a real upgrade. Had he left this Summer, you don’t get the sense many would have begged for him to stay.
Context is necessary, though. Sure, Oxlade-Chamberlain rarely featured; but the same can be said for Hatate. Likewise, Paulo Bernardo found himself completely exiled from plans once Martin O’Neill arrived. Both Hatate and Bernardo have proved to be quality players for Celtic in the past, so a lack of game time isn’t necessarily a fair reflection on ability.
Nevertheless, after a 1-0 win over St Mirren, the Northern Irishman named the same midfield trio for the last seven matches. Continuity was key. Once he found a winning formula, he stuck with it and you could hardly say he was wrong for doing so.
That is to say, with a full pre-season under his belt, Oxlade-Chamberlain could come out next season an entirely different player. It goes without saying that if he can return to the heights that saw him capped internationally for England and play an important role in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side from 2017-2019, then he would prove an invaluable
contributor to the side.
However, the issue is whether that is a realistic expectation. Since 2019/2020, he has rarely played consistent football. 6 years later, he simply isn’t at that level anymore.
So, whether this is a positive move from Celtic or not really comes down to the intention of the signing. For now, Oxlade-Chamberlain should be viewed as a squad player. The Celtic board cannot think that his signature means that one of the starting roles is filled.
History tells you that injuries will come; you simply cannot rely on the Ox to play week in week out. That was even the case during his peak. Six years later, with little football in his legs, there is little to suggest that things will be better. The only saving grace is a lower intensity league; however, even that may be clutching at straws. More work needs to be done in the midfield. Height, speed and physicality are a necessity.
Of course, there is no need to be stubborn for the sake of it. Should the 32-year-old enjoy an excellent pre-season and build himself back up to the player he once was, then of course he would occupy a starting role. His level of quality is much higher than anyone else currently at the club. At this stage of pre-season, though, with transfer planning hopefully in process, the recruitment team should be looking at the balance of probability and be very prepared to bolster the options.
One midfielder who has been linked with the club is Gvidas Gineitis. The young Lithuanian stands at a tall 6’3 and has reportedly caught the eye of the Celtic recruitment team. An asking price of £9 million is steep for a central midfielder who has scored just three league goals in 80 career appearances. Of course, goals aren’t everything in a team; Engels has proved as much, scoring just five outfield goals over two seasons, but you do feel that with that price tag, the Scottish Champions will look elsewhere.
So, on the 6th of July, with a whole lot of work to do, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract extension is an interesting piece of business. Yet, it doesn’t improve the situation, the midfield which was already deemed as too weak last season hasn’t changed. So, you can only hope that more business is done and ideally as soon as possible. But history tells you that it won’t be so simple.