After some doubt earlier in the evening, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Celtic are set to sign free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Celtic fans may still be disappointed.
It was revealed that the Hoops' signing of Oxlade-Chamberlain will occur on Friday, too late for the club to register him for the latter stages of the Europa League. The deadline for squad registration has now passed, being February 5 at 11pm, and it appears that the midfielder will sadly have to settle for domestic football.
The disappointment almost messed up the deal, with the midfielder unhappy that he would miss out on European football. The other point of contention was that the Celts were only looking to offer him a contract until the end of the season, with his representatives looking for a longer deal. Thankfully, this was all sorted out as the former Premier League star has agreed to a six-month contract, and the deal will be finalised on Friday, February 6.
Big hit for Celtic in Europa League
There is no doubt that this will be a massive hit for Celtic in the Europa League. Since the Hoops' interest was revealed, it has been discussed about how he could help Martin O'Neill's side to the trophy. He could have allowed Benjamin Nygren to play in a different role that may get even more out of the in-form Swede, but now, the Hoops will have to opt for their current midfield three, who all still form a very good partnership.
That doesn't mean there won't be new faces though, as one of either Joel Mvuka or Junior Adamu will likely make the squad. The Celts have one more place, assuming that both Tomas Cvancara and Julian Aurajo will be registered, and with the versatility that Adamu offers, we can take a guess that he may be the frontrunner.
Since the forward can play on both sides of the wing, as well as in the central striker position, he offers the versatility that Celtic desperately need. With Michel-Ange Balikwisha out of form and Johnny Kenny going out on loan, he can help out in both of their areas of the pitch.
With an intense run of fixtures coming up at the end of February and into March, Celtic will need to rotate their squad, and with Oxlade-Chamberlain only being an option on Scottish soil, that means that other players eligible for Europe can be rested. We aren't swapping out talent in this case, because Oxlade-Chamberlain has bags of it.