Celtic were busy on the deadline day of the summer transfer window last week with three new additions walking through the doors at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers moved to bolster his playing squad with the signings of Arne Engels, Auston Trusty, and Luke McCowan, from Augsburg, Sheffield United, and Dundee respectively.
The Northern Irish head coach signed two fresh central midfield options after attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Celtic raked in a club and Scottish transfer record fee of more than £25m for the Denmark international, who caught the eye with his performances last season.
| 23/24 Premiership | Matt O’Riley | Squad rank |
|---|---|---|
| Sofascore rating | 7.91 | 1st |
| Goals | 18 | 1st |
| Assists | 13 | 1st |
| Big chances created | 14 | 1st |
| Key passes per game | 2.5 | 1st |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, the former MK Dons man was instrumental in the team’s attacking set-up during the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign.
The Hoops lost a hugely talented player, who could contribute a great deal at the top end of the pitch, and that is why they swooped to sign Engels and McCowan, the former of whom has been signed for a significant sum of money.
How much Celtic paid for Arne Engels
The Scottish giants smashed their club record transfer fee with a swoop to sign the Austrian central midfielder from Augsburg for a reported fee of £11m.
Odsonne Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £9m in the summer of 2018 was the previous record, which means that Celtic have comfortably made Engels the most expensive signing in the team’s history.
The 20-year-old starlet, who made his debut for Belgium against Israel this week, came off the bench in the 3-0 win over Rangers at Parkhead last time out for his Hoops bow, less than 48 hours after his move was made official.
Engels arrives in Glasgow with plenty of senior football under his belt after featuring in the Bundesliga in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns.
In the 2022/23 season, the central midfielder showcased his creativity with four ‘big chances’ created and 1.3 key passes per game in 18 starts in the German top-flight.
The talented youngster could not break into the starting XI on a regular basis last season, however, but did contribute with moments in the final third.
| 23/24 Bundesliga | Arne Engels |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 32 |
| Starts | 13 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Ground duel success rate | 52% |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As you can see in the table above, Engels was directly involved in five goals in 13 starts in the Bundesliga, more than one every three starts on average, and held his own in physical duels on the deck.
Of course, it is now up to him to develop and adapt to Scottish football to emerge as a regular starter and justify his huge price at Parkhead under Rodgers.
One former Celtic midfielder, who went on to be worth more than what was just paid for Engels, the club struck gold with was colossus Victor Wanyama.
How much Celtic paid for Victor Wanyama
In the summer of 2011, Neil Lennon swooped to sign the young talent from Belgian outfit Beerschot AC for a reported fee of £900k to bolster his options in the middle of the park.
At the age of 20, the same age that Engels is now, Celtic snapped up a prospect who they wanted to develop and improve, whilst still getting quality performances on the pitch in the short term.
Wanyama already had 54 appearances for Beerschot under his belt, prior to his transfer to Scotland, and had contributed with two goals and one assist.
The Kenya international hit the ground running in Glasgow and immediately became an important player for Lennon, with 42 appearances in all competitions – including five starts in the Europa League.
In 22 outings as a defensive midfielder, the young enforcer caught the eye with four goals and four assists, which showed that he could push forward to join in with attacks to go along with his natural defensive instincts at the base of the midfield.
| Victor Wanyama’s record in 2011/12 (Celtic) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Premiership | 32 | 6 | 3 |
| SFA Cup | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Champions League | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| League Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Champions League qualifiers | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Stats via Transfermarkt | |||
As you can see in the table above, Wanyama continued to prove his worth to Celtic in his second season with the Scottish giants, with nine goals and four assists in all competitions.
His displays were impressive enough for Lennon, his manager at Parkhead, to describe him as a “world class” player, which speaks to the level of his performances.
How much Celtic sold Victor Wanyama for
After winning two Premiership titles and securing a Scottish Cup trophy in two campaigns with the Hoops, the Kenyan star attracted interest from Premier League side Southampton.
The Saints swooped in to sign him for a reported fee of £12.5m in the summer of 2013, which was a Scottish record transfer fee at the time and showed that they hit gold with the superb gem.
That piece of business represented a masterclass from the Scottish giants, as Celtic raked in £12.5m for a player they paid £900k for just two years prior.
That fee was £2.5m more than the club have just paid for Engels to snap him up from Augsburg and, hopefully, Rodgers will end up looking back on that deal in the same way that Lennon does with Wanyama now.
It is now up to the Belgian youngster to, first, break into the midfield ahead of the likes of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, and Paulo Bernardo, and then shine in a Celtic shirt.
Wanyama hit the ground running and was an important player for the Hoops in both of his seasons with the club, but that does not mean that Engels has to go down the same path.
At the age of 20, there is plenty of time left for the central midfielder to grow and develop over the years to come, as a long-term project for Rodgers, and that means that there is no rush for him to make an immediate and big impact in the first-team, despite the transfer fee.
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