Some signings arrive quietly. Others announce themselves with a last-minute winner on debut against Livingston, and that’s exactly how Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started life at Celtic in February 2026. He came from Beşiktaş on a free transfer, so the fee was £0, and he brought Premier League and Champions League winner’s medals from his Liverpool days. Cheap? Almost absurdly.
He played a rotation role that spring, yet the numbers flatter him. Twelve appearances, eight starts, 551 minutes and two goals helped Celtic land the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup. A new contract followed, running to May 2027.
Then the minutes dried up. Two league starts have brought 141 minutes, and he added 34 more as a substitute against Benfica in the Europa League on 15 October. Across all competitions, he sits on roughly 175 minutes, with no goals and no assists. Against Benfica he completed 17 passes at 64 per cent accuracy and created one chance. Tidy enough, but hardly decisive.
The Transfer Feed reports that the club could let him leave in January. His on-pitch contribution is considered too small, and he doesn’t help with the homegrown quota, unlike Murray. A January sale would raise little. Keeping him means another £0 return when the deal expires in May. Cold arithmetic, sure, but football’s full of it.
Martin O’Neill built his name on sides that run hard, move the ball quickly and attack through the middle with purpose. At 33, Oxlade-Chamberlain still carries the ball well, drives from deep and strikes cleanly from range. The legs don’t last like they once did, though. Callum McGregor anchors the central area, so any minutes for Oxlade-Chamberlain come from rotation rather than a vacancy.
Should Celtic sell him in January?
Yes, but only if the right replacement arrives first. Oxlade-Chamberlain gave us a double-winning cameo and flashes against Benfica, yet 175 minutes across eight appearances tells us Martin O’Neill doesn’t trust him in big moments. That matters. Celtic’s squad needs players who play, not names who sit.
The numbers back a sale. Two goals in 551 minutes last season was useful, but this term he has nothing. Murray helps with the homegrown quota, a box Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t tick, and those squad spots are precious. Why hold one for a man who plays twenty minutes at a time?
The money matters too. His deal ends in May 2027, so waiting gets the Hoops £0 back. A January fee, however small, beats that.
Still, Celtic should keep him if injuries bite in midfield. Cup ties in February and March can turn quickly, and a Champions League winner on the bench is handy insurance. I feel that Martin O’Neill should allow his sale only if a younger, hungrier midfielder is lined up. Otherwise, let him see out the contract.
