How Celtic can instantly replace Arne Engels in the transfer window

Celtic recently confirmed that central midfielder Arne Engels has departed Paradise to sign for West Ham United on a permanent deal this summer.

The Belgium international sealed a £22m move down south to switch a potential Champions League campaign with the Hoops for the Championship with the Hammers.

Engels started the season with one assist in two matches in the Scottish Premiership for Martin O’Neill‘s side, but now he will be competing in the second tier of English football.

The Hoops will see the positive side of this sale because it represents a significant profit on the £11m that he was signed for from Augsburg in 2024 under Brendan Rodgers.

How Celtic hit the jackpot with Arne Engels

The key to winning in the transfer market is being willing to take risks on players, and that is what the Scottish giants did when they signed the Belgian star.

Despite being brought in for a club-record fee from Augsburg two years ago, Engels did not arrive at Parkhead as a proven star who was always going to be a guaranteed success.

Instead, the central midfielder joined the club off the back of a season where he had only started 13 of his 32 appearances for Augsburg in the Bundesliga, showing glimpses of his quality in those limited minutes.

Celtic were willing to take a risk on his potential and it paid off for them. In exactly 100 appearances for the club, Engels scored 17 goals and provided 22 assists in all competitions before his move to West Ham.

The 22-year-old maestro provided a threat at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position, which eventually attracted interest from elsewhere, and playing regularly at Parkhead allowed him to showcase that quality.

How Celtic could instantly replace Arne Engels

Now, the Premiership champions are looking at a player who could be the second coming of Engels in the middle of the park for O’Neill this season.

OnTheMinute reports that Celtic are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Manchester United central midfielder Dan Gore before the end of the summer transfer window.

The Hoops are exploring the possibility of a permanent transfer for the 21-year-old talent, after he spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Rotherham United.

Sheffield United, Swansea, and Southampton are also circling around the English youngster, and the Scottish giants are yet to make formal contact with the Premier League side.

REUTERS/Peter Powell

Valued at just £1m, as per Football Transfers, The Red Devils youngster could be the second coming of Engels at Parkhead because he is another young central midfielder who is yet to prove himself on a regular basis at first-team level.

Gore has only played two matches for Manchester United’s first-team and played his first season of consistent senior minutes on loan at Rotherham in the 2025/26 campaign.

The English gem showed signs of promise in the third tier of English football, creating four ‘big chances’ for his teammates and holding his own in his physical duels.

Gore, who also scored one goal in four matches in the EFL Trophy, should not be judged soley on his output for Rotherham, though, because it was his first taste of regular game time.

Just as was the case with Engels at Augsburg, the Manchester United talent is a young player who is waiting to burst onto the scene, and Celtic could provide him with the platform to do it.

The 21-year-old ace scored six goals and provided 11 assists in 77 matches for Manchester United’s U18s and U21s combined before making a senior breakthrough, which shows that he does have the potential to provide a good threat in front of goal.

Like Engels, Gore needs to be put in a position where he can have the freedom to get forward and influence matches at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position, which is why playing for a dominant Hoops side could be the perfect next step for him.

Therefore, the Scottish giants could instantly replace the Belgian by swooping to sign the Red Devils academy graduate, who has the potential to be the second coming of the £22m-rated star.