It turned out to be an eventful deadline day celtics The Scottish Championship side have raised concerns after announcing three new signings late on Monday night.

Austrian striker Junior Adamu from Freiburg has secured a further loan deal, with the additions of Julian Araujo and Tomas Kavankara joining the squad, with the 24-year-old scoring just once in the Bundesliga all season.

Subsequently, Brentford’s 20-year-old centre-back Benjamin Arthur was transferred on a temporary basis. The player has actually only made three first-team appearances in west London so far.

Lorient’s Joel Mvuka summed things up after his medical, saying: “Mediocre Ligue 1 playerAs journalist Robin Barnier describes, despite initially hoping to make the move permanent for £3 million, he joined a loan deal with an option to buy.

Arne Engels is at least retained due to interest from Nottingham Forest, while the midfield line-up could actually still be augmented thanks to the Hoops’ interest in free agents even after the deadline, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

How does Oxlade-Chamberlain compare to Celtic’s midfield in 2024/25?

Confirmed Martin O’NeillSky Sports reported on deadline day evening that Celtic were considering a move for the former England international, with the 32-year-old not having played for a club since leaving Besiktas in the summer.

The former Arsenal and Liverpool man spent two years with the Turkish side, making 50 appearances in all competitions and scoring five goals from a midfield position.

However, to his dismay, the injury problems that plagued him in England reappeared. “The Bull” made only 20 appearances last season and scored only once.

Overall, he did not receive an assist or create a single great opportunity in the 18 games he played in the Super League, averaging only 0.1 key passes per game.

In comparison, in the Premier League last season, Celtic captain Callum McGregor scored 11 goals and assists, created 5 excellent opportunities, and averaged 0.9 key passes per game.

Leo Hartart and Engels also fared much better, with the midfield duo once again outscoring Oxlade-Chamberlain in goals (10 vs. 9), assists (4 vs. 6), big chances created (14 vs. 11) and key passes (1.4 vs. 1.7), ensuring he doesn’t become an upgrade from O’Neill’s current squad.

Indeed, faith in the Englishman’s previous heroics may be misplaced, while his injury record is also worrying and Celtic have been stung by similar deals in recent times.

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That’s not entirely indicative of an impressive recruitment with Glasgow still in contention for free agency after the deadline and Parkhead brass having plenty of time to line up potential targets.

There’s also a very real sense of déjà vu in the pursuit of Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Hoops bringing in a new forward late in the summer after snapping up one. Kelechi Iheanacho Another free transfer move beyond the deadline.

Like Celtic’s latest target, Iheanacho endured a difficult spell before joining the club, scoring just four times in total in 2024/25 after forgettable spells at Middlesbrough and Sevilla.

Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, then manager Brendan Rodgers – desperate for a senior centre-forward – was banking on the Nigerian’s previous performances in the Premier League, where the 29-year-old scored 61 goals in 232 games for Leicester City.

In fact, the last and only time the striker hit double figures in a league season was with the Foxes in 2020/21, while Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best Premier League season of his career dates back to 2017/18, when he notched 10 goals and 10 assists.

Celtic took the risk anyway and although Iheanacho has impressed in the Europa League, his impact has been limited so far, making just five Premier League appearances due to injury.

Although he still scored two league goals with minimal involvement, as they say, the best ability is availability and he just hasn’t been seen enough.

It looks to have been a wasted season on the evidence so far for both sides, with Glasgow perhaps getting what they deserve as they departed so late in the day to acquire a striker first.

There’s no doubting his pedigree, and he looked “outstanding” during his brief spell with Celtic as Aiden McGeady praisesBut all signs point to the players the club has signed going downhill.

They can’t do this to Chamberlain anymore.

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