It proved to be an eventful deadline day as far as Celtic are concerned, with the Scottish champions announcing three new signings in the late hours on Monday.
With Julian Araujo and Tomas Cvancara already in the door, a further loan deal was secured to prise Austrian striker, Junior Adamu, from SC Freiburg, with the 24-year-old having netted just one Bundesliga goal all season.
That was followed by another temporary move for Brentford’s 20-year-old centre-back, Benjamin Arthur, a player who has actually made just three senior appearances to date in west London.
Rounding things off, following a scare with his medical, was Lorient’s Joel Mvuka, with this “mediocre Ligue 1 player“, as described by journalist Robin Barnier, joining on a loan deal with an option to buy, despite initially looking set for a £3m permanent switch.
Arne Engels was at least retained, amid interest from Nottingham Forest, while the midfield ranks could actually still be added to even after the deadline, amid the Hoops’ late interest in free agent, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
How Oxlade-Chamberlain compared to Celtic midfielders in 2024/25
As confirmed by Martin O’Neill, after reports by Sky Sports late on deadline day, Celtic are considering a move for the ex-England international, with the 32-year-old having been without a club since leaving Besiktas in the summer.
The former Arsenal and Liverpool man had spent two years with the Turkish side, racking up 50 appearances in all competitions, while scoring five goals from his midfield berth.
Frustratingly for him, however, the injury woes that previously plagued his time in England reared their head again, with ‘The Ox’ making just 20 appearances last season, scoring just once.
In all, his 18 Super Lig outings saw him fail to register a single assist or create a single big chance, having averaged just 0.1 key passes per game.
For comparison, in the Premiership last season, Celtic skipper Callum McGregor racked up 11 goals and assists, created five big chances and averaged 0.9 key passes per game.
Both Reo Hatate and Engels also fared far better too, with the midfield pair bettering Oxlade-Chamberlain again for goals (ten & nine), assists (four & six), big chances created (14 & 11) and key passes (1.4 & 1.7), ensuring he wouldn’t exactly be an upgrade on O’Neill’s current pool.
Indeed, putting faith in the Englishman’s former heroics might be misplaced, while his injury record is also cause for concern, with Celtic having already been stung by a similar deal of late.
Celtic could still sign a bigger talent than Oxlade-Chamberlain for £0
The deadline has come and gone, but Celtic might still have business to do.
Celtic have already signed another Oxlade-Chamberlain
It doesn’t exactly point to impressive recruitment that the Glasgow side are left scrambling around for free agents after the deadline, with the Parkhead hierarchy having had plenty of time to line up prospective targets.
There is a very real sense of Deja vu about this pursuit of Oxlade-Chamberlain too, with the Hoops having left it late to land a new striker over the summer, after snapping up Kelechi Iheanacho on another free transfer deal past the deadline.
Like Celtic’s latest target, Iheanacho had endured a difficult period prior to joining the club, scoring just four times in all in 2024/25 following forgettable stints at both Middlesbrough and Sevilla.
Again, like Oxlade-Chamberlain, then-boss Brendan Rodgers – in desperate need of a senior centre-forward – was banking on the Nigerian’s prior working in the Premier League, with the 29-year-old scoring 61 times in 232 games at Leicester City.
In fact, the last, and only time, the striker had even hit double figures for goals in a league season was back in 2020/21 for the Foxes, while Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career-best Premier League campaign came even further back in 2017/18, as he racked up ten goals and assists.
|
Celtic – Top SPL scorers (25/26) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Nygren |
12 |
|
Maeda |
7 |
|
Engels |
4 |
|
Yang |
4 |
|
Kenny |
4 |
|
Tierney |
3 |
|
McGregor |
2 |
|
Iheanacho |
2 |
Celtic took the risk regardless, and despite flashes of quality in the Europa League, Iheanacho’s impact has been limited to date, having since made just five Premiership appearances due to injury.
That minimal involvement has still seen him score two league goals, although, as they say, the best ability is availability, and he simply hasn’t been seen enough.
For both parties, it currently looks like something of a wasted season on current evidence, with the Glasgow side perhaps getting what they deserve for leaving it so late in the day to acquire a striker in the first place.
There’s no doubting his pedigree, having looked “outstanding” in his brief Celtic outings, as hailed by Aiden McGeady, but all the signs point to the club having signed a player on the decline.
They can’t afford to do so again with regard to Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Celtic flop now looks finished at Parkhead after Adamu & Mvuka deals
Celtic’s late business has been put under the microscope, but what does it mean for those already at Parkhead?