Overview
- The transfer, announced Saturday, saw West Ham pay a reported £22m to Celtic to secure 22-year-old Arne Engels.
- Engels has signed for five years but will not be registered for the season opener at Burnley and is expected to make his debut at the London Stadium on August 22 against Charlton.
- The Belgium international won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic, has four senior caps, and is comfortable as a midfielder, right-back, or right winger.
- West Ham’s director of player recruitment, Nils Koppen, said Engels was a long-term target whose experience and character fit the club’s profile as they rebuild for an immediate promotion push and the club described the fee as an EFL Championship record.
- The £22m figure tops the previous Championship mark of £17.5m and may raise the spending benchmark among promotion contenders this transfer window.