Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has agreed a one-year contract extension at Celtic.
An announcement is now expected for what is the first piece of movement for the three Celtic players in limbo after last season.
Martin O’Neill, having agreed to stay as permanent manager after his two interim spells, was reportedly the decisive factor in persuading Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay.
It’s said that the midfielder had interest from the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe.
📝 The Ox extends!
Have Celtic made the right call?
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain commits to Martin O’Neill with one-year Celtic extension
Oxlade-Chamberlain was brought to Glasgow shortly after the closure of the January transfer window.
After two seasons at Besiktas in Turkey, he had spent six months as a free agent, training with former club Arsenal to maintain fitness.
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He was subbed in for his debut in a home meeting with Livingston, with the score at 1-1. In a classic Hollywood script, he scored a stunning injury-time winner from the edge of the box.
The 32-year-old went on to make 11 more appearances as the team secured an unlikely league and cup double. He also scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 home win over St Mirren.
Despite these contributions, Oxlade-Chamberlain didn’t appear in any of Celtic’s final four league games of the season.
In fairness, this was mostly due to the form of Arne Engels. The Belgian is now expected to depart in the coming weeks as part of a major midfield overhaul.
Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo could also depart after a lack of playing time. This makes Oxlade-Chamberlain’s extension a logical move for continuity.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi are both also keen to extend their stays in Glasgow, but the club are yet to agree a deal with either of the pair.
🤦♂️ Still no sign of an agreement for either of these two Celtic favourites to stay…
The season ended on May 23rd 🗓️
Perrie Edwards on husband Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Celtic’s future
The biggest hint on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s future had come from his now-wife Perrie Edwards, who said on the Hanging Out podcast with Ant & Dec: “I love Glasgow.
“I’d love him to stay there a bit longer. It’s the best. I just love northerners, everyone is so chatty and friendly and approachable.”
On the day Celtic secured the league title with a dramatic 3-1 win over Hearts, she continued: “The atmosphere was epic.
“It was unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. The way they all ran onto the pitch, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“It was chaos, insane, but I loved it.
“I’m glad we were there to be a part of it, it was so good. We went out partying after it and that showed how old we are, how tired we are!
“I’m so proud of him.”
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