Keith Wyness: Why Celtic could be facing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ‘problem’ after deal agreed
Celtic could face a “problem” with new signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due to the demands of Scottish football.
That is according to former Everton, Aston Villa and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, who exclusively told Football Insider he’ll be closely watching how many minutes Oxlade-Chamberlain manages to play for Martin O’Neill’s side.
Celtic agreed a deal over the past week to sign the 32-year-old on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain got off to a perfect start at Parkhead, coming off the bench to score an injury-time winner in the 2-1 victory over Livingston on Wednesday (11 February).
It was the midfielder’s first appearance of the season, having left Turkish side Besiktas last summer.
Why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be ‘very good’ signing for Celtic
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who previously played for Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool, has suffered heavily with injuries over the past few years.
That led to him making just 20 appearances for Besiktas last season, where he scored one goal across the campaign.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast before the game against Livingston, Wyness revealed his reaction to Celtic agreeing a deal for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“Look, my initial instinct was it was a very good signing and then I thought about it, he’s 32, how fit is he?” said Wyness.
“He hasn’t played for a while, he’s got to come in quickly into the squad and he’s got to be fit now, he’s got to make an impact for Martin.
“I get it, what Martin O’Neill is trying to do there, bring in some experience and some quality with essentially a pretty young squad as well.
“I think Oxlade-Chamberlain will be a very good influence in the dressing room as well and he’ll respond well to Martin.”
Why Oxlade-Chamberlain could face issue at Celtic
Wyness has questioned how Oxlade-Chamberlain will adapt to the conditions in Scotland over the next few weeks.
“It’s his fitness is the big question mark,” said Wyness.
“I’ve no idea what he’s done, how he’s looked after himself. I think it’s been since last season when he last had a game, so it’s been a while. Scottish winters are not easy. Those pitches are tough, and you’ve got to be fit to play on them.
“We’ll see how he gets on, but I’m going to be watching very closely how many minutes he can get through and it’ll be tough because if you’re just that half a pace short, you get caught in tackles in Scotland, and you’re going to get injured pretty quickly.
“That’s the danger that I’ve seen with some of these players coming in, getting caught in that split second, and that can be a problem for them going forward.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain will be hoping to make another positive impact when Celtic face Kilmarnock on Sunday (15 February).
For more Celtic and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.