By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
West Ham have had a £22million bid ACCEPTED for Celtic midfielder Arne Engels, according to ExWHUEmployee.
The Hammers have been chasing the Belgian for the best part of a month and, following several attempts to strike a deal, it now appears Nils Koppen has finally got his man.
As Claret & Hugh revealed back in July, West Ham’s recruitment director had turned his attention towards Celtic, a club and market he knows well following his time with Glasgow Rangers.
It would be fair to say that Engels has always been Koppen’s primary midfield target this summer, so there will no doubt be considerable relief that an agreement has finally been reached.
Koppen’s number one target was always Celtic’s Arne Engels
West Ham Finally Land Their Man
ExWHUEmployee has also suggested medicals will take place over the coming days, although the timing could make Sunday’s Championship opener against Burnley a little too soon for Engels.
Either way, this is very good news.
West Ham’s midfield has been crying out for precisely this type of player. Engels is creative and progressive, possesses an excellent range of passing and is something of a set-piece specialist.
The 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth couldn’t disguise the fact that Nuno Espírito Santo’s team still lacked creativity and someone capable of moving the ball quickly into attacking areas.
Engels should help considerably in that regard.
| Arne Engels | Key Stat |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 goal contributions | 23 |
| Shot assists per 90 | 1.69 |
| Passes into penalty area per 90 | 3.00 |
| Progressive passes per 90 | 5.42 |
| Crosses per 90 | 2.23 |
At 22 years old and standing 6ft 1in, he’s also exactly the sort of profile West Ham should be targeting – young enough to develop considerably but already possessing plenty of first-team experience.
After weeks of negotiations and rejected offers, this feels like a significant breakthrough.
Koppen identified his man, West Ham remained patient and, barring any late complications, the Hammers have finally got him.
I thought/hoped James would come on board, but Engels, Orford, Kante, Magassa, Alvarez & later Soucek, (in that order) makes for a young and exciting midfield. Going to be interesting see how he plays and how style of play, even tactics, might adapt.
NES seems to bypass midfield a lot, notwithstanding when had Fernandes, so I hope we now get to see quick, one-touch football played through the middle of the park as well as out wide to Bowen & Solomon.
Would be great to have a fast forward in the squad like Antonio (Bamba Dieng?), who also finishes like Vardy, but that is maybe asking a bit much!
“notwithstanding when had Fernandes” I meant ‘even when Fernandes playing’,
my english it good not so much
Nothing wrong with bypassing midfield, Peter. Let the ball do the work. We only score goals when the ball crosses the goal line.
Too often teams seem to believe that they need to keep possession and play the ball around at the back and middle of the park. Predictability generally leads to boring football. Mix it up a bit and play to our strengths. Keep the opposition guessing and find out how good they are at improvising.
Quick, one touch football through the middle would also be lovely to see.
With you and your sentiment.
@chris fault £££
Why would you leave celtic and champions league football to play in the championship with no garentee of promotion to a smaller club with more money.
Because he’s hoping to play in the premiership next season. Not that hard to understand
There’s a difference between simply playing a little Champions League football and competing in the competition too. Should we make it back into the Premier League, he’ll have far more exposure to high quality opposition and even the Championship offers highly quality opponents on average than the league he’s coming from.
Playing in a one horse league boring champions league never going to win and big club only in Scotland because theirs nothing else to do up their! playing in a better league playing for a better club with huge support why wouldn’t ya. Oh yeah better weather to
Finally! That would be excellent news.
let’s hope we don’t get guzzumped , others will have a go if he’s that good…