Celtic secured the Scottish Premiership title on the final day of the 2025-26 campaign, beating Hearts to claim the trophy. However, behind the high of winning the league sits a set of unresolved decisions that will define how the club move forward, according to Pete O’Rourke. They have to make the decision on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Celtic’s midfielder has more to prove after a disrupted debut season
The 32-year-old central midfielder joined Celtic in February and scored on debut against Livingston, a bright opening that briefly promised more. Fitness problems repeatedly set him back, though, and he found himself benched across the post-split run-in. His Scottish Premiership numbers tell a mixed story: 425 minutes played, two goals, nine chances created, and a 50% dribble success rate.
Those figures are decent for a player still rebuilding match sharpness, yet they hardly justify certainty either way. Celtic hold an option to trigger a one-year extension in his contract, but sources indicate that any formal decision will wait until pre-season, when his fitness and form can be properly assessed.
Compounding things further, Martin O’Neill’s own position remains unclear heading into the summer. Football Insider reported last month that O’Neill has been actively pushing for the extension, so his potential departure weakens the case considerably. Motherwell’s Jens Berthel Askou, Roberto Martinez, and Kieran McKenna have all been linked with the vacancy.
Celtic must sort the manager question before anything else this summer
We feel that Celtic should appoint their new manager first and let him decide on this particular midfielder. Bringing in a player on extended terms, only for the incoming boss to have no interest in him, helps nobody. McKenna represents the most compelling appointment; his work at Ipswich demonstrated a clear capacity to develop experienced players alongside younger talent.
Once a manager is confirmed, Celtic can have a straight conversation about whether that extension makes sense. The player deserves clarity, and Celtic deserve a decision made with full information rather than institutional inertia. Sorting that hierarchy correctly is the only realistic path forward.
