Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to undergo a medical today ahead of completing a short-term move to Celtic.
The 32-year-old ex-Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder, who has earned 35 England caps, has been unattached since departing Turkish outfit Besiktas in August.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been keeping fit with Arsenal but, ahead of tonight’s Scottish Cup clash against Dundee at Parkhead, O’Neill anticipates adding him to his ranks for the remainder of the campaign.
‘I spoke to him this morning, I think he wants to come and I think he’s coming,’ said O’Neill yesterday.
‘I would have assumed he’s gotten a number of options. I think there was even talk about Arsenal, where he is training, might take him on because they might pick up a couple of injuries, so I’m delighted that he’s going to come, so he says.
‘So I think he’s doing a medical tomorrow and, all being well, I’m hoping that he signs on.
‘This boy is here to try and play, and try and get into the team, and try and get as fit as possible as quickly as possible.
‘I think it would be nice to have him here with the squad, just for at least these couple of months.’
Oxlade-Chamberlain will complete his switch too late to be registered in Celtic’s squad for the Europa League encounters with Stuttgart later this month.
He arrives during a period of unrest at Parkhead between supporters and the board and, indeed, with fans themselves divided over a suggested boycott, beginning with the cup fixture against Dundee.
The Celtic Fans Collective, representing hundreds of supporter groups, unveiled the proposal amid continued dissatisfaction with the hierarchy.
The umbrella organisation once again called for chief executive Michael Nicholson to step down, the reinstatement of the banned Green Brigade ultras group, and the return of club access to fan media platforms.
Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has engaged with supporter representatives in an effort to restore unity, while O’Neill is seeking some form of compromise before the matter becomes what he labelled ‘debilitating’.
The 73-year-old said: ‘What I would like, if it’s at all possible, is some meetings which I think Mr Wilson said was going to take place, which is a big step forward.
‘Let’s find out what all the ailments are and let’s see if we can rectify some of them, because going forward the club will trip itself up if that’s the case. Eventually it’s debilitating and it does affect people.
‘And Celtic have always prided themselves in a sort of togetherness, and it is strange, really, for it to be in this shape. So we do need the fans in.
‘You saw Falkirk manager John McGlynn saying that the atmosphere here can turn toxic pretty quickly and that’s not something you want to hear from opposition managers.
‘Maybe these meetings might be too late before tomorrow’s game, but if they’re talking about some sort of show at Stuttgart, I think we should try and have some sort of talks before then.
‘There has to be a middle ground somewhere along the way, as to how quickly we can reach that is probably in the lap of the Gods.
‘But it would just be nice to know what all of the complaints are about or the club’s attempt at least to rectify those.’
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Shirt Number Options at Celtic:
Over the course of his career, Oxlade-Chamberlain has largely stuck with two squad numbers. Fortunately for the former Arsenal midfielder, both 15 and 21 are currently vacant at Celtic.
Jeffrey Schlupp was the last player to wear the 15 during his loan stint in the 2024-25 season. Oxlade-Chamberlain sported that number at Arsenal, Liverpool and Besiktas.
Earlier in his time at Anfield, however, he wore the number 21 shirt. Should he choose it at Celtic, the 32-year-old would become just the ninth player in the club’s history to take that number. It is a jersey that carries a fairly modest legacy at Parkhead.
Brian McGlaughlin, Stewart Kerr, Magnus Hedman and Mark Brown failed to rack up 100 appearances in the iconic green and white hoops between them. Full-back Edson Braafheid also wore the number during a brief loan spell from Bayern Munich that lasted only a single campaign.
Scottish defender Charlie Mulgrew later gave the shirt some continuity, donning it during a productive six-year spell at Parkhead. More recently, Olivier Ntcham and Yosuke Ideguchi have been the latest players to occupy the number.