Celtic sent clear Oxlade-Chamberlain message as Arsenal stance clarified

Former Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has already told Celtic that he would prefer to stay near London.

The 32-year-old emerged as a surprise Deadline Day target for the Hoops. Due to being a free agent, Celtic could still add Oxlade-Chamberlain now, even though the window has closed.

On Tuesday, Martin O’Neill confirmed that he would be “very interested” in signing the former Premier League and Champions League winner. The interim boss also revealed that he has already spoken to Oxlade-Chamberlain about a potential move.

Although he said that the player was “excited” by what he was told, O’Neill twice mentioned that the midfielder surely also has options closer to London, where he is currently keeping himself fit with Arsenal. This is a crucial factor, as the veteran wants to remain near his family.

“I spoke to him, but I’m sure he will have lots of options, maybe closer to London as well,” O’Neill said. “He was very affable, I must admit. I would be very interested in doing it, but as I said to you, I’m surprised that people haven’t taken him up closer to the area.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain: I don’t want to be away from my family again

In November, Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared on Ben Foster’s podcast and revealed that he does not want to move away from his family again, which may ultimately rule out a move to Glasgow.

“The majority of [offers] have been in Europe, away from home,” Oxlade-Chamberlain explained. “For me, I did two years away, which I found difficult on a family level.

“I was going six weeks, eight weeks without seeing my son, my missus, mum and dad, they didn’t even get a look in because if I ever come back for a day or two, it would be seeing them, seeing him, that was difficult.

“So, I just knew I don’t want to do that again. I want to be back in England. And it’s just waiting for the right thing to pop up back here, or close enough that that makes sense for a family thing.

“I think once you have children, it changes things. It’s not all just about me now, and completely about football. It needs to suit that as well. I’ve had offers, and I’ve had to say no to them because it wasn’t right for me and for us.

“So then your pool comes down to, you know, you’re saying, I want to be here. Then it’s just waiting for the right thing, the right project, something I can be excited about, to go into and hit the ground running hopefully.”

Although the former England man has struggled with serious injuries, he still has plenty left in the tank at 32. On Monday, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta did not rule out handing him an emergency contract to cover for the injured Mikel Merino.

However, if Arsenal are to hand Oxlade-Chamberlain a deal, they need to do it quickly as the registration window for the Premier League closes on Thursday.

Football transfer news headlines today

Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea’s surprise summer plan after Rosenior transfer hint

Man Utd decide on first THREE summer signings: €200m monster spend locked in

Mo Salah set to ANGER Cristiano Ronaldo as transfer decision made

Agreement reached after Arsenal and Chelsea wonderkid battle

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store