news-engine

Arne Engels Scout Report At West Ham United 2026/2027: Can Nuno Espírito Santo Tactics Unlock The Celtic Midfielder's Potential? – Player Analysis Arne Engels is a technical, progressive midfielder set to join West Ham from Celtic. This scout report analyses his positioning, passing, creativity, set-piece quality, defensive weaknesses, and fit in Nuno Espírito Santo’s Championship midfield. Who Is Arne Engels? Arne Engels looks destined to move this summer. His deadline-day move to Nottingham Forest in January didn't go through as Celtic chased, and eventually won, the Scottish Premiership title. The Hoops are now looking in a better place to sell, and with a reported transfer fee of over €25m, it looks like that destination will be the London Stadium. West Ham United are looking to rebuild a team that suffered relegation to the EFL Championship. With major sales in the form of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur (€99m) and Crysencio Summerville to Al-Hilal SFC (€64.5m), they have the funds to reinvest in the squad, and it appears that they've identified Belgian midfielder Engels as the right man to bolster their promotion hopes. Engels has been at Celtic for the past two seasons, having moved from Augsburg in 2024 for a then-club record fee of €13m. He came up through Club Brugge's youth system and has thus far accumulated four caps for his country. He's been something of a polarising figure at Celtic Park. His backers see an extremely technical midfielder, able to facilitate play and control the game. His detractors see a lack of output and someone who has not hit the heights of someone like a Matt O'Riley, who he replaced. This Arne Engels scout report and player analysis looks at what Engels will bring to West Ham's midfield, and how he might fit into Nuno Espírito Santo's favourites for automatic promotion back to the Premier League. Arne Engels Positioning Engels and Celtic had a turbulent 2025/2026 season. It started with Brendan Rodgers in charge, playing his 4-3-3 formation. That lasted until the end of October, when he left his post. Engels then had Martin O'Neill until the start of December, when Wilfried Nancy's three-at-the-back football lasted just 33 days. Martin O'Neill then came back in for the rest of the campaign to see Celtic over the line in the league. Arne Engels Heat Map 2025/2026 Above is his Scottish Premiership heat map for the 2025/2026 season. As you can see, he has a bias to the right-hand side of the pitch; he is more comfortable in those areas on his stronger right foot. Last season, the majority of Engels' time was spent as one of the deeper midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, playing alongside Callum McGregor. Throughout his career, though, he has shown versatility. Throughout his Celtic career, he's been at his best as No. 8, able to get up and down the pitch, but he's also comfortable in a deeper role, where he's receiving the ball early, or in a more advanced role, where his technical ability can influence the attack. Arne Engels In Possession West Ham are in a bit of a weird spot for next season. They are expected to be one of the most dominant sides in the Championship, with players like Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Kyle Walker-Peters in their ranks. These are seasoned top-five league players. Yet, they also have Nuno, someone who has tended to manage teams that like to sit in a block and counterattack. Engels should help West Ham do dangerous things with the ball. He is someone I'd describe as a risk-taker in possession. He likes to punch the ball between the lines, and he likes to get the ball into the box. He likes his passing to have purpose. This is shown in his passing numbers. Engels attempted 40.3 passes per 90 last season. He passed forwards 10.34 times per 90, into the final third 3.84 per 90 and into the opposition box 2.74 times per 90. I'm certain these numbers would rank him on the higher end amongst midfielders in those particular metrics. One of the best actions I've seen from Engels came in a UEFA Champions League match against Aston Villa in 2025.