Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Belgian midfielder Arne Engels is undergoing a medical at West Ham United, with the 22-year-old on the verge of completing a transfer to the Premier League club. The move brings the curtain down on what has been a productive spell in Glasgow for a player who arrived from German side Augsburg in 2024 and quickly established himself as one of the most watchable young midfielders in Scottish football.
A Transfer That Could Not Be Stopped
O’Neill was transparent about his feelings when addressing the media, stopping well short of pretending this is good news for his side. He admitted he had hoped to keep Engels available at least until after Celtic’s Champions League play-off against LASK, with the first leg of that tie scheduled for next Wednesday. But West Ham had other ideas, pushing for Engels to be ready for the opening day of the Premier League season. The club’s wishes, in the end, carried the day.
“West Ham wanted him to be available for the opening day of the season,” O’Neill said, confirming that Engels was at that moment likely sitting in a medical room somewhere in London. “Naturally disappointed, really, that he’s leaving the football club. He’s done very well for us.”
Those words carry weight. O’Neill is not a manager given to hyperbole, and when he describes a player as having done “very well,” the football world knows that means something significant happened on those training pitches and matchdays in Glasgow.
The Nottingham Forest Saga and What It Revealed
This is not the first time Engels attracted serious English interest. During the January transfer window, Nottingham Forest lodged a multi-million pound offer for the midfielder, and Celtic turned it down. What is striking, however, is how Engels handled the situation at the time. O’Neill was clear that his player never sulked, never agitated publicly, and never let the noise around his future disrupt his performances.
“Even though the offer came in very late from Nottingham Forest in January, he never moaned about it at all,” the Celtic boss noted. That kind of professionalism from a player who is still only 22 says a great deal about his character. Many footballers in that position would have downed tools or at least let frustration seep into their game. Engels, it appears, is not that type.
O’Neill acknowledged that the Belgium international would likely have stayed content in Glasgow had West Ham’s approach never materialised. “If it hadn’t come up, I think he’d have been happy,” he said. That is a significant statement. It suggests Engels was not engineering an exit, but rather that an opportunity presented itself which was simply too good to ignore.
What Celtic Lose and What Lies Ahead
Losing Engels at this particular moment stings for Celtic. They are heading into a Champions League qualifying campaign that demands quality in the engine room of the pitch, and a midfielder of Engels’ composure and technical ability is not easily replaced. The Scottish champions have already shown they can attract talent from the continent, which provides some comfort, but the timing is far from ideal.
O’Neill was candid about this much. “It’s an opportunity for him and it’s really hard for him to turn it down,” the manager admitted. That is the reality of modern football. Celtic operate at a level where they can develop elite talent and win trophies domestically, but they cannot always compete with Premier League wages when a club with West Ham’s financial muscle comes knocking.
Engels, for his part, is stepping into a league that will test every attribute he has refined in Scotland. The Premier League at 22 is a serious ask. But players who have shown they can perform under European pressure, maintain their professionalism through transfer speculation, and earn genuine praise from experienced managers tend to have what it takes to adapt.
West Ham’s Summer Statement
For West Ham, landing Engels represents the kind of forward-thinking recruitment that the club has been building towards. At 22, he offers years of development potential alongside immediate utility. Arriving hungry to prove himself in England’s top flight, having already shown resilience during the Forest saga, Engels is the sort of signing that can look very smart in hindsight a couple of seasons down the line.
The Hammers are clearly serious about getting their squad ready before the season begins, given the pressure they applied to ensure Engels was available from the first whistle. That urgency tells you everything about how highly rated this young Belgian is considered at board level in east London.
Celtic will now dust themselves off and focus on what lies ahead, including that crucial LASK tie and the domestic season where they will once again be expected to deliver. They have done it before with a thinner squad. They will find a way again.
As for Engels, the next chapter is about to begin under the brightest spotlight in club football. The question worth sitting with is this: will we look back at this transfer as the moment a generational midfielder truly announced himself, or will the Premier League prove to be a step too soon? Either way, watching it unfold promises to be worth every second.
