Celtic took a strong leap towards winning the Scottish Premiership title this week after beating Motherwell, but it still highlighted the fact that one player is surely heading for the exit door.
The Glasgow giants secured a 3-2 victory away from home, with Kelechi Iheanacho scoring a 98th-minute penalty to take all three points.
The penalty decision has been immensely scrutinised in the media, but Celtic won’t mind too much as they sit just one point behind league leaders Hearts.
Despite their strong run since the split, Celtic have endured a relatively disappointing season, and we’re likely to see plenty of changes in terms of their squad in the summer transfer window.
Despite their victory against Motherwell this week, there is one Celtic player who is surely heading through the exit door after what’s happened this month.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was on the bench again this week, but for the third game in a row, he failed to play a single minute.
It’s clear that Martin O’Neill doesn’t fancy him, and it feels incredibly unlikely that they are going to be willing to offer him a new contract this summer.
Even if O’Neill departs, the club aren’t going to want to offer a new contract to a player who is clearly not at the level to play week in, week out. Not even coming off the bench as an experienced professional speaks volumes. He’s surely now going to be departing at the end of his contract in the summer.
Low Risk, Low Reward for Celtic
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
It certainly wasn’t a disastrous signing for O’Neill to bring Oxlade-Chamberlain to Celtic in the January transfer window, as it was a free transfer.
It was a low-risk option for Celtic that could have paid off, but it’s just not quite worked out for the former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder.
Celtic offered him a route back into the game after failing to make an appearance since the previous summer, and only offering him a deal until the end of the season was a smart move.
It’s time for the two parties to shake hands and say their goodbyes, as it’s simply not worked out for Oxlade-Chamberlain in Scotland.
