Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has joined Celtic on a free transfer nine months after his last competitive game.
The 32-year-old left Besiktas last summer after an amicable termination of his contract.
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Celtic sign Oxlade-Chamberlain
The former England international has a contract with the Hoops until the summer with an option for a further year.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill said on the club’s website: “We are delighted to be bringing Alex to Celtic.
“He still has so much to offer the game and I am sure he can add another dimension to us with his great skills and wealth of experience.”
“Most importantly, he himself is passionate and excited about this step, so we welcome a great player who wants to help us achieve as much as possible.”
Speaking to Celtic TV, Oxlade-Chamberlain added: “It’s been a busy few days but I’m delighted and really excited.
“Talking to the manager it just felt like it was the perfect fit for me and I feel like I can step in and help the boys.”
“I just spoke to the manager and also to Shaun Maloney who told me what the expectations are of the club and what it means to play here, what our goals are and that he will push me.
“That’s all I identify with and that’s the environment I’ve always been in and been lucky enough to be in.
“This is exactly what I need. I need another challenge and I’m lucky enough to be at a big club like this. And they can help me get back to where I need to be and, more importantly, I need to help the team achieve the goals we want to achieve.”
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Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with his former club Arsenal in recent weeks to get back fit for the game.
After starting his career with Southampton in 2009, he moved to the Gunners in 2011 and Liverpool in 2017, where he won the Premier League and Champions League.
He then moved to Turkish Superliga club Besiktas in 2023, scoring five goals in 50 games and winning the Turkish Cup in 2024.
During his two years in Turkey he played under nine managers, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, none of whom lasted longer than 20 games.
His last senior football game before his summer departure was an 11-minute appearance against Adana Demirspor in May 2025.
Since then, Oxlade-Chamberlain played for Arsenal’s under-21 team in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United in December.
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Celtic currently sit third in the Scottish Premiership, six points behind leaders Hearts.
European football expert Andy Brassell believes the player can be an instant hit for the current champions.
He said: “I’ve seen him in person a few times in the Turkish Super League and I think it’s clear there’s still a big player in there.”
“I think he can get to a level pretty quickly where he can have a huge impact on Celtic.”
“He scored the winning goal against Fenerbahce and he was someone who could still run all day, he could still fill a number of midfield positions, he still has great skills.”
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“A lot of the reasons why it didn’t work out for him at Besiktas was circumstance and in reality he was seen as a symbol of a failed regime and a failed transfer policy. None of that was really his fault.”
“He was thrown out because suddenly they weren’t able to hunt trophies anymore and he was still getting a lot of money.”
“He was hard-working, hard-working, there was still a lot of quality. But he just found himself in a situation where, after playing all his life in clubs that were fighting for certain things, he was suddenly in a completely dysfunctional situation where he could only do so much.”
“So I feel like there’s a lot left in the Oxlade-Chamberlain tank.”
Celtic signed three loan deals on transfer deadline day.
Striker Junior Adamu came from Freiburg, winger Joel Mvuka from Lorient and defender Benjamin Arthur from Brentford.