West Ham United recently played a friendly against Rangers. However, they are doing business with Celtic and are set to sign Arne Engels from the Hoops.
The Marca journalist, Matteo Moretto, posted on X (translated from Spanish), "West Ham is close to signing Celtic midfielder Arne Engels."
It is about time that West Ham brought a player in after losing the likes of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville already this summer.
It would be a coup if West Ham were to get the deal over the line for Engels. Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland were also reportedly interested in the player. He had also been linked with Serie A teams including AC Milan, Napoli, Roma and Lazio.
Who is Arne Engels?
Engels is a versatile player who predominantly plays central midfield. However, he can also play on the right side of midfield and at right-back. He is just 22 and already has four caps for Belgium. However, these all came in the Nations League back in 2024.
The midfielder came through the ranks at Club Brugge, but did not make an appearance for the first team. He was on the bench for them in a two-legged defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa League.
Engels did play 35 times for Brugge's reserve team, Club NXT, before moving to the Bundesliga with Augsburg. He made 53 appearances for the German side before transferring to Celtic in 2024. He has since gone on to represent the Hoops 98 times, scoring 17 goals and providing 21 assists. With Celtic, Engels has won the Scottish Premiership twice, the Scottish Cup, and the Scottish League Cup.
Engels could be a very useful option for Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham. He is a replacement for Fernandes in the middle of the park. He could also fill in for Jarrod Bowen on the right. He is also an option at right-back, which could be needed if Aaron Wan-Bissaka moves on this summer.
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