Arne Engels is a regular starter for Celtic, but some feel that shouldn’t be the case.
Only recently, Chris Sutton went for Engels’ throat by stating that the midfielder is ‘hiding’ in games, as he thinks was illustrated against Hearts over the weekend.
Engels was signed by Celtic for a club-record transfer of £11 million during the summer of 2024, and it has followed him around ever since, and you sense that won’t change.
One man who has worked closely with Engels is Darren O’Dea, and he had a different view on the 22-year-old than those who feel he isn’t good enough.
Is Arne Engels ‘hiding’ in a Celtic shirt?
Darren O’Dea defends Arne Engels at Celtic
Speaking on Go Radio, O’Dea didn’t shy away from admitting that Engels has underperformed in a Celtic shirt, but he thinks he has gone through periods this season where he has ‘done well.’
But O’Dea stated that the Belgian star would be ‘accepting’ of the pressures on him and the club-record price tag, as critics continue to throw verbal punches.
Paul Cooney: “Arne Engels, what do you make of him? Having watched him and been there at Celtic, and watched him from afar when you were down south.
“At times, he is absolutely brilliant. Other times, the fans are quite hard on him.”
O’Dea: “I think he would say, rightfully so, he has been bought for a huge fee. He is coming with a massive tag on him. That he is coming to be a Celtic starter. You have to accept that pressure.
“But in reality, was he 21 when he came in? He is adapting to a new country. I think you are seeing a better player this year. I have no doubt that he is going to become better, better and better.
“But at Celtic, the reality is, if you come in for that price tag, you have to come in and produce straight away. Last season, he was in between. I think this year, he had a period where he was doing well.
“I think his niche is going to be set-plays. He can improve on that in terms of scoring goals from free-kicks. His set-plays can be excellent.
“But he is a very, very young guy, who has taken big expectations, and he is having to handle that.”
Is the Celtic midfield too one-dimensional?
How has Engels rated in the Premiership and the Europa League this season
Celtic host Utrecht in the Europa League on Thursday night, knowing a win would book their ticket into the play-off stages.
Given what the Hoops produced against Hearts and the very poor performance of the midfield, some are calling for Engels to be dropped and for Paulo Bernardo to earn a rare start.
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Engels has been a regular in the Premiership and Europe this term, and this is how WhoScored have rated his performances.
- Premiership games: 22
- Starts: 15
- Goals: 4
- Assists: 2
- Man of the Match: 1
- WhoScored rating: 6.75
- Europa League games: 7
- Starts: 5
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 2
- Man of the Match: 0
- WhoScored rating: 6.74
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