By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
I have to give massive congratulations to West Ham for the signing of 22-year-old Arne Engels, whose transfer was confirmed by the club yesterday.
Whilst, like many, I’ve been becoming somewhat nervous about the time it’s taken to get some of these deals over the line, I’ve been impressed by the bigger picture surrounding this particular transfer.
Because currently, the Hammers appear to be undergoing an evolution rather than a revolution. But when you look at what has changed to make this transfer happen, there is plenty to be encouraged about.
First of all, West Ham’s owners have hired what is effectively a director of football.
Okay, I know Nils Koppen isn’t operating under that precise job title, but it’s clear he has been given the power to do his job.
And Engels has been his number one transfer target throughout this window.
Koppen is overseeing the transfer strategy at West Ham
West Ham have backed Koppen
Of course, West Ham have already done some transfer business in the shape of Joel Veltman on a free transfer and Manor Solomon for £5 million.
But the £22 million paid to Celtic represents a big investment and a Championship record for a player.
We’ve been following West Ham’s pursuit of Koppen’s number one midfield target closely, and the club have remained determined to get their man despite Celtic driving a hard bargain.
It’s really the investment and faith shown in Koppen which I find most encouraging.
For too long at West Ham, we’ve heard about scouting departments, video analytics and a different way of doing things. But ultimately, players tended to get signed because they were with favoured agents.
Whilst David Sullivan’s influence on the football club has clearly lessened in that regard since his removal as chairman, I was still concerned there would be a huge influence from Nuno Espírito Santo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, on the incomings.
Therefore, I’m delighted that our marquee signing is a Koppen pick rather than a Nuno one.
I’m not suggesting Espírito Santo didn’t give his approval, but it is important for the long-term strategy of the club that we don’t revert back to the old scattergun approach.
Engels represents something bigger
And that is exactly why I celebrate this transfer possibly even more than the signing of the player himself.
Because it signifies change.
It signifies a reinvestment of precious club finances back into a young player with his best years ahead of him.
As we’ve already looked at in our coverage of Engels, the Belgian offers the creativity, set-piece delivery and forward passing that West Ham’s midfield has been lacking.
But for me, the bigger encouragement is how he got here.
Engels is here because he wants to be and because West Ham’s new recruitment strategy highlighted him as the player who can make a difference.
Koppen identified his number one target. West Ham backed him with £22 million. And despite the negotiations dragging on, they didn’t abandon the plan and move on to whichever player happened to be offered by an agent.
We’ve heard plenty about West Ham changing the way they recruit players over the years.
Maybe this time we’re actually watching it happen.
There is danger in a head of recruitment who is from Belgium buying us a player from Belgium. Remember German Tim Steidten buying Nicklas Fullkrug or Portuguese Nuno buying Portuguese Pablo. It’s easy to persuade a fellow countryman to come to your club. Maybe it’s a lazy move. Let’s hope it works out for us this time round with Engels.
Gonzo, the main thing here is this would never, and I mean never, happened with Sulivan in charge. Trouble with Sulivan he would hire someone to do a job then thought he new better. Long may it last!
All good news Gonzo.Now all we need is a striker to work with Taty because Pablo is definitely not the answer.