West Ham’s £22m Gamble Is Starting to Make Much More Sense

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Arne Engels when he first arrived at West Ham for £22m.

There was clearly a good footballer there, but I wondered whether we’d signed somebody who was a little too neat and tidy. I wasn’t quite sure where the cutting edge was going to come from.

That concern wasn’t helped by his early performances. After the Charlton defeat I questioned whether Engels had the ability to really grab hold of games and unlock Championship defences.

A few games later and I’m starting to change my mind.

Engels seems to be improving with every performance and I thought he was excellent against Derby County. There was nothing particularly Hollywood about his display, but I felt like he covered every inch of the pitch.

Engels and Mukasa partnership is working

I think playing alongside Divine Mukasa has really helped him.

Rather than Engels being asked to charge forward and carry the ball through midfield, Mukasa provides much of that dynamism. It seems to complement Engels, who can concentrate on keeping West Ham moving, covering ground and progressing possession.

Against Derby, Engels and Mukasa controlled the midfield and the Belgian completed five of his six progressive passes and all four of his passes into the final third. He also won five of his seven defensive duels.

The more I watch him, the more I think we’ve bought a very effective and extremely hard-working midfielder rather than somebody who is going to produce a flurry of tricks.

West Ham have a serious set-piece weapon

Where I do expect Engels to start producing numbers is from set pieces.

His corners against Derby were consistently excellent. Most of his deliveries since arriving have been aimed dangerously towards the back post, although he varied that against Derby with a near-post delivery which Jarrod Bowen headed just over.

Some supporters have amusingly labelled Engels “James Ward-Prowse mark two”, but I think that’s selling him short.

In fact, Engels’ set-piece delivery was one of the things that stood out when I looked at him before his £22m move from Celtic.

The assists haven’t started piling up yet, but I suspect they’re coming. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman must be licking their lips every time there’s a corner.

And if Tomáš Souček eventually gets into the team, Engels will have another major aerial target to aim for.

An automatic West Ham starter on merit

Perhaps Engels was always likely to start initially because West Ham had invested £22m in him. That’s no longer the reason I’d pick him, though.

He’s rapidly becoming an automatic starter on merit.

It’s quite a change from my initial assessment. When I reviewed West Ham’s nine summer arrivals immediately after the window closed, I felt Engels had shown good potential but was under huge pressure to justify that Championship-record fee.

If Nuno Espírito Santo switches to three central midfielders, my preferred combination would be Engels, Lewis Orford and Mukasa.

Engels might be the least spectacular of the three, but I’m beginning to suspect he could become one of the most important.