Celtic are flying and Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with the impact of new signing Arne Engels in the engine room.
The Belgium international was brought in for a record £11 million fee on deadline day and has looked every inch the big-money addition in green and white.
Following his debut against Rangers, Engels won a place in the starting lineup and is delivering when called upon, scoring consecutive penalties against Heart of Midlothian and Slovan Bratislava.
More than anything, his all-round performances have raised the bar in the Celtic engine room. Despite only turning 21 earlier this month, the Dendermonde-born man seems to have an exciting level of variety to his game, which has prompted an ecstatic fan reaction.
Now, Liam Scales has laid out how the Bhoys’ dressing room are feeling after his arrival from Augsburg last month.
How the Celtic team feel about Arne Engels
Speaking to The Daily Record, Scales thinks ‘everyone’ can see the quality Engels brings to the table for Celtic and he also claims nobody warrants a record fee more than the Belgian midfielder.
He stated: “What’s that saying? If he was any more laid back, he’d be horizontal. Honestly, Arne’s brilliant. It takes a lot of guts to come in and play the way he’s playing, straight into these massive fixtures. Playing against Rangers, coming into the Champions League game and doing so well. He’s got so much quality. I think everyone can see that. He’s brilliant.
“I think he deserves that record fee. He’s a top, top quality player. He’s just been brilliant. He’s really getting to know the lads as well. He’s just been top class all round. I’m looking forward to playing with him.”
Later, he added: “He’s well capable of that other side of the game as well. Obviously, he’s technically brilliant. You can see that, but I think that sort of goes under the radar of how good he is. He’s just a bit of a machine. There are players bouncing off him and he’s really getting into tackles. It’s great to see that. You need your midfielders to do that.”
Not only is Engels easy on the eye, but he is also strong as an ox in the engine room and definitely isn’t afraid to impose himself, whether that be in the tackle or when counter-pressing.
Bringing a refreshing honesty to the game, tangible excitement is in the air over what the former Bundesliga star can achieve at the club. With Celtic possessing a knack for identifying talent in midfield, he looks to be the latest in a long line of valuable assets with potential to develop.
Hopefully, Engels can continue to lead the charge on several fronts as the Bhoys look to enjoy a historic season.
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