Celtic have signed former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The England international, who was a free agent, has joined the Scottish Champions until the end of the season, with an option to extend his stay for a further 12 months.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is the fifth player signed since manager Martin O’Neill returned as interim manager for the second time this season.
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Sky Sports News Celtic revealed their interest in the 32-year-old earlier this week, with O’Neill confirming the player wants to move to the club after fresh talks on Friday.
He has been training with former club Arsenal since mutually terminating his contract with Turkish side Besiktas in August.
O’Neill said: “I’m really excited to bring Alex to Celtic. He still has so much to offer to the game and I’m confident he can add another dimension for us with his outstanding ability and wealth of experience in the game.
“Above all, he is passionate and excited about this move, so we are welcoming a great player who wants to help us achieve as much as he can.”
speaking Celtic TV“It’s been a busy few days, but I’m delighted and really looking forward to it,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said. “After talking to the manager, it seemed like the right fit for me and I felt like I could come in and help the players.
“I spoke to the manager and Sean Mulroney who told me their expectations for the club, what it means to play here, what our goals are and how 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.
“That’s what I need. I need another challenge and I’m lucky enough to be at such a big club and they can help me get back to where I need to go and, more importantly, help the team achieve the goals we want to achieve.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with former club Arsenal since leaving Turkey.
The England player, who has 35 caps, joins new loan signings Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu, Joel Mvuka and Benjamin Arthur as the Hoops try to catch leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Julian Araujo also joined Celtic on loan from Bournemouth during the January transfer window, with Wilfried Nancy in charge of the team.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has made 35 appearances for England.
He could make his debut in Celtic’s next league game against bottom-placed Livingston on Wednesday, before a trip to second-placed Kilmarnock on Sunday. It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
However, Oxlade-Chamberlain will not be able to play in the subsequent Europa League play-off match against Stuttgart as his registration was not completed in time.
Instead, O’Neill added Cvancara, Araujo and Adamu to his European squad. This means Arthur and Mvuka, who arrive on Deadline Day, will also be sidelined.
