West Ham United has secured the services of Arne Engels from Scottish club Celtic in a transfer valued at £22 million, establishing a new record for spending by an EFL Championship club. The 22-year-old Belgian international agreed to a five-year contract with the club, surpassing the previous record of £17.5 million that Ipswich Town paid for a forward a year prior.
Engels is capable of playing multiple positions including midfielder, right-back, and right-wing. He will join West Ham following the club’s relegation earlier this year and will be unavailable for the team’s opening Championship fixture against Burnley on Sunday. His first available appearance will come in the home league derby against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, 22 August.
The midfielder represents West Ham’s fourth addition during the current transfer window, joining Venezuelan midfielder Keiber Lamadrid, Dutch defender Joel Veltman, and Israeli winger Manor Solomon. Engels began his professional career at Club Brugge before transferring to Augsburg. He subsequently moved to Celtic in August 2024, where he won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles and made four appearances for the Belgian national team.
Nils Koppen, West Ham’s director of player recruitment, indicated that Engels had been identified as a key target for some time, citing his youth combined with significant experience at a top-level club and demonstrated consistency. Engels expressed enthusiasm about the project, emphasizing the team’s goal of returning to the Premier League and his desire to contribute to achieving success with the supporters.
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