The former Liverpool and Arsenal star got off to a flier with his last-gasp winner against Livingston
(Image: SNS Group)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain didn’t know what direction his career was going but as soon as the call came from Celtic his dad didn’t need to dig out a map.
The new Hoops hero had already been given the lowdown on Celts from close pals Joe Hart and Andy Robertson after months training with former club Arsenal and waiting for the right move to materialise.
But when Martin O’Neill sent out the SOS, it was Ox’s famous father who helped give him a major nudge north.
Mark Chamberlain enjoyed a stellar career himself, starring for Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth and Stoke and picking eight England caps on the way. And when his boy revealed Celtic were in the driving seat to offer him a deal, the old man told his lad to buckle up.
Oxlade-Chamberlain made an instant impact when he came off the bench to grab his side’s stoppage time winner against Livingston to keep the title push on the road. And he revealed he’s determined to keep the foot down after listening to his dad.
Ox said: “It gives me a chance. It is an amazing opportunity. When it came up, I didn’t doubt it for one second.
“It is a long way from home, but even that was not a factor for me coming here. My family was really supportive of it. You don’t get chances to play for clubs like this.
“My dad is from an era back in the day where this club meant a lot. Maybe back in that generation, the guys know a lot how much it means to play for this club.
“He was straight away telling me, ‘I’ll get you in the car now and drive you up there myself!’
“It is an amazing opportunity for me and it is a great start, but I know there is a lot more to it than just 13 minutes. I have got a lot of hard work to do to catch up, learn a lot off these lads, learn the way they play, and put myself in a position to really be able to help them going forward, and they will be helping me as well.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain was also sold on Celts by O’Neill – and he’s determined to deliver for his new boss after being dragged back from almost a year in the wilderness after leaving Besiktas.
He said: “It means a lot. I have to say a big thank you to everyone at Arsenal. “They all know and I have spoken to them for giving me the chance to keep my fitness up.
“Then an even bigger thank you to the manager here and this football club for giving me the chance to put on this kit and play for this amazing club.
Celtic’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates
“It has been difficult. Sometimes the way things go in football, especially when you cross that 30 years of age barrier, you are maybe not as valuable as you once were in a business sense.
“I always knew I still had a lot to give.
“Training every day for the last three months and where I was training gave me the confidence in that environment that I can still offer a lot to the game. I am absolutely delighted to be here and have the opportunity to do that and help these boys.
“A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know where I was going to be or where my future stood in the game. I just kept my head down, trained hard, and believed that something would come up. It has and it did.
“Now I am going to be doing absolutely everything I can to repay the club with the faith they have put in me.
“When you get those opportunities, you want to be able to pay back with moments of quality like that.
“Wednesday was a great start for me but, more importantly, it keeps our goals alive and keeps us going in the right direction.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain had heard all about Celtic Park from former Hoops hero Hart – as well as his old Liverpool pal Robbo – and he was thrilled to get a taste for himself as the Parkhead crowd roared his arrival and then raised the roof after his winner.
The 32-year-old was expecting his chums to be back on the phone after his explosive impact.
But Oxlade-Chamberlain insisted he’s already hungry for more magic moments.
He said: “I was speaking to Harty maybe four weeks ago about this place, and this was before this opportunity had come up even. He was just telling me about his time here and how much he loved it and how the stadium can be when things are going well.
“I have just seen a really good glimpse of it, so it could not have gone better for me.
“The important thing is not about me, though. When you score the winner, sometimes you do get the credit and a lot of talk at the time, but it is not about me.
“We have got big games coming up and all the boys there are going to play a massive role. I need to just be there to help whenever needed. We are all going to have to pull together.
“It is a great start. I have loved every minute of it, and I hope for many more moments like that.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain is hoping for less stress this weekend at Kilmarnock though as Celts almost came a cropper against Livi for failing to take their chances to put the game to bed.
He said: “We are going to have to do that better, but if you’re not able to do that, it is that mentality to keep going, stay calm, and believe that there is going to be a moment.
“Throughout my career, the teams where we have done well, those are the things that we had to fall back on at times when it was not going so well and we were not playing amazing, but you still win.
“That is always a massive factor in any team.”