Why £9m Celtic signing could spell the end for Arne Engels

The driving force behind Celtic‘s Premiership title charge at the end of last season was undoubtedly Daizen Maeda, but it would be wrong to overlook the role played by the returning Arne Engels.

Subject of a £25m offer from Nottingham Forest on deadline day, the Belgian subsequently limped off against Livingston in mid-February, ultimately missing two months of action to leave Martin O’Neill in short supply of midfield quality.

Following his return against St Mirren in April, the Glasgow side won every game thereafter, having certainly been lacking Engels’ energy and physicality in the centre of the park prior to that.

Already too in the early weeks of the new season, the 22-year-old’s importance has been keenly felt, not least against Kilmarnock last time out, with it set to be an anxious wait to see if he does depart before the deadline.

Engels’ stunning Kilmarnock display in numbers

It was a rather tame opening weekend win over Dundee, but the champions – and Engels – truly came alive at Rugby Park, putting Kilmarnock to the sword in a rampant display on the road.

Kasper Hogh’s clinical first-half hat-trick – alongside some shoddy Kilmarnock defending – may have been the headline story, but Engels was masterful in midfield, a real powerhouse presence alongside Callum McGregor.

At every opportunity, the former Augsburg man sought to bomb forward to join Hogh and co in attack, notably teeing up the Dane’s opener with a delightful dink from the left flank.

Such a creative threat, be it from set-pieces or open play, Engels supplied five key passes and created two ‘big chances’ against Neil McCann’s men, all while boasting a solid 86% pass accuracy rate.

His best contribution of the day notably came late on to tee up substitute James Forrest, the playmaker picking out the Scotsman with an exquisite outside-of-the-boot pass, a moment that no doubt deserved a finishing touch from the experienced winger.

It’s for such all-round quality that the likes of West Ham United have been courting his interest this summer, with a move away having for a long time looked like an inevitability.

Celtic, to their credit, are holding firm as things stand, with Champions League playoffs looming, but that resistance might well be broken if a potential replacement for Engels is snapped up in the near future.

How Celtic can replace Arne Engels this summer

With two signings already in the door at Parkhead, the next is set to arrive in the form of Egyptian winger, Haissem Hassan, the 24-year-old in line to join from Real Oviedo for an initial fee of around £6m.

REUTERS/Maria Lysaker

The Hoops will have a brand new forward line to unleash then this season, but the midfield unit still appears rather light, having also allowed Paulo Bernardo to depart for Poland on loan.

There has been speculation surrounding Paderborn’s Mika Baur in recent weeks, although that interest has gone a little quiet of late, with the Premiership leaders perhaps instead turning their attention to Torino’s Gvidas Gineitis.

As per CeltsAre here, Celtic remain keen to sign the 22-year-old, amid rival interest from Red Bull Salzburg, albeit while having not yet opened formal negotiations with the Italian side.

The expectation is that O’Neill and co could pounce should Engels leave, with a fee of around £9m believed to be the asking price, despite prior claims Gineits could fetch far more.

Striking a deal for the Lithuanian would seemingly mean the end for Engels’ time in Glasgow, and for all the disappointment at seeing the Belgian depart, this could represent the perfect replacement.

Another young, rising midfield star, Gineitis has already spent the last four seasons in Italy’s top-flight, suggesting that there would be merit behind Celtic’s £9m investment.

In 2025/26, for instance, he started 23 games in Serie A, registering one assist and creating five ‘big chances’, while averaging a standout 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game.

In Engels’ case, he was ahead with five goals scored and three assists created, although the Celtic man only just bettered his Torino counterpart in terms of big chances created (six). As for tackles and interceptions per game, Engels’ average was just 1.5 last season.

Gineitis might not necessarily provide a similar goalscoring or creative threat, but his mobility and physicality would certainly fill Engels’ void, as seen in the fact that he was also dribbled past just 0.3 times per game last season, just ahead of the Celtic star’s 0.4 average.

That’s not to say the £9m midfielder can’t also chip in in an attacking sense, having notably scored three goals in 2024/25 in Turin, after starting just 15 times that season.

He would cost a pretty penny, but there’s plenty to like about what Gineitis offers, particularly at a time when Celtic’s ageing midfield unit is crying out for fresh legs.

Indeed, replacing a premium talent like Engels will no doubt take a premium fee.