Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of those signings that you don’t get every year in Scotland.
The midfielder’s pedigree speaks for itself, and prior to heading to Glasgow, he had been training with Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s class was instantly evident in his debut against Livingston, which saw him instantly repay Martin O’Neill’s faith with a last-minute winner.
After an injury to Arne Engels, Celtic might need their newest signing earlier than initially planned for their upcoming clash with Kilmarnock.
And in the opposite camp for Sunday’s game is a man who has special memories of the English midfielder.
Andy Robertson hails Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s move to Celtic… should he follow him in the summer?
Kilmarnock’s Tyreece John-Jules on Celtic’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Tyreece John-Jules is a product of the Arsenal youth academy, but Oxlade-Chamberlain had moved to Liverpool by the time the Kilmarnock man was training with the first team.
However, as a boyhood Arsenal fan, he was more than familiar with the new Celtic signing.
READ MORE: Viewpark’s brilliant John Robertson gesture sees ex-Celtic assistant immortalised
Speaking to The Herald, John-Jules reflected on his interactions with Oxlade-Chamberlain whilst growing up at Arsenal, including one classy gesture.
He said: “Funnily enough, when I was about 12, I had the same barber as Oxlade-Chamberlain,” John-Jules remembered.
“I was a kid at Arsenal, and he was in the first team. My barber took me to a game to watch Arsenal and Oxlade-Chamberlain had a box, and he surprised me by letting me go into his box to watch the game.
“I met him after the game and got a little picture and stuff. I don’t know if he remembers that! But it was a great experience and a great memory for me.”
On his time at Arsenal in general, John-Jules said: “I joined Arsenal at eight – when you’re that age, you just want to play and enjoy football.
“You don’t really take it in; you’re not thinking, ‘I’m playing for Arsenal.’ You’re just playing and running around and enjoying it.
“I’m from a footballing family, so everyone’s always been supportive of me. Growing up at Arsenal was always a great help.”
Celtic have a great record against Kilmarnock
Will it be a convincing victory or another narrow win?
Reactions to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joining Celtic
Oxlade-Chamberlain is well-connected in English football, not least with people who know Celtic well as a club.
The Englishman has joked about Andy Robertson’s constant messages since the move came about, whilst he also sought the advice of ex-Celtic men Joe Hart and Virgil van Dijk.
Jordan Henderson said that he ‘loved’ the move – Oxlade-Chamberlain described him as the most important player he ever played with.
Kris Boyd couldn’t hide his hypocrisy when criticising the signing, as if he hadn’t been Aaron Ramsey’s biggest cheerleader in 2022…
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