Former Arsenal and Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain enjoyed a dream debut for Celtic after joining the Scottish side on a free transfer earlier this month
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got his Celtic career off to the perfect start(Image: PA)
View 2 Images
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has admitted that he was ‘dreaming’ of his spectacular debut goal for Celtic. The former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder only joined the Scottish giants earlier this month on a free transfer.
He had previously been with Turkish side Besiktas but returned to former club Arsenal to keep up his fitness after his contract was cancelled. And Oxlade-Chamberlain, 32, is already off the mark for Celtic.
He scored a brilliant stoppage-time strike to help his new club to a 2-1 win against Livingston on Wednesday evening which leaves the club third and six points behind Hearts in the race for the title with a game in-hand.
Speaking about his first goal since December 2024, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: "I was drawing that one up in the hotel room earlier; they are the things you dream of. Still at this age, late on in my career, moments like that are why we play this game; you never get bored of it.
"I’m delighted the club has given me the chance to be back on the pitch and put faith in me to have moments like that. Now that is my job: to add quality."
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill also gave his verdict on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s debut goal and didn’t foresee him having such a rapid impact.
He said: “He's been a class player, there's no question about it. He's played for big teams and he's performed brilliantly. I'm just really delighted to have him. Getting him onto the field, he turns the game for us, which is brilliant.
“Did I think he was going to be as dramatic as that in scoring the goal? Maybe not. But I think that he can give us something, no question about that.
“He's a really decent player and he gets up to speed with things quickly. He's only done it a couple of days and I couldn't be more pleased with him.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates his goal for Celtic(Image: PA)
View 2 Images
“He's made a big impact, believe it or not, even in the training sessions with the rest of the players, which is always a good sign. I'm just delighted he's in and I think that when he's properly fit, he'll be great for us.”
He added: “It was frantic on the pitch and frantic in the dugout as well. It was great and I was right behind it when I saw him. The minute it left his foot, I thought, 'this is in'. It was just great.
“He's incredibly modest about his achievements in the game and he wants to do well. He's 32 years of age and he should be at the peak of his career.
“He's gone off to Turkey for a couple of years, perhaps no one wanted to take him. He's come up here and he wants to have a go, which is great.”
Celtic will be back in action at the weekend as they take on Kilmarnock away from home. They will then turn their attention to their Europa League commitments on in midweek as they welcome German side Stuttgart to Celtic Park for the first leg of their playoff.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of MirrorFootball content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.