Who is Arne Engels? Meet Celtic’s record £11m transfer from Belgium

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Celtic broke their incoming transfer record in August 2024 when Adam Idah joined for an initial £8.5m from Norwich City.

However just a couple of weeks later with days until the deadline, the Hoops smashed that fee with the £11m arrival of Arne Engels from FC Augsburg.

Since then, the Belgium international has spent the 2024/25 season settling into life at Celtic and has shown flashes of his superb potential.

Celtic fans may have wanted to see a little more of his quality on a consistent basis, but there’s no doubt Engels is a player for the future.

Here is absolutely everything you need to know about Celtic midfielder Arne Engels as we answer all of your frequently asked questions.

What age is Arne Engels?

Arne Engels was born on September 8, 2003 in Opwijk, Belgium. He spent most of his teenage years in youth ranks at Club Brugge before debuting for their academy side Club NXT in 2020.

As of May 2025, Engels is 21 years old.

What is Engels height?

Engels stands 1.84 metres / 6 feet tall.

Does Arne Engels have a girlfriend?

It is unknown whether Engels has a girlfriend or not.

Does Engels have a brother?

It is believed Engels does not have a brother. There has been confusion surrounding the relationship between Arne and Bjorn Engels, the Belgian centre-back who used to play for Aston Villa.

They share the same surname but they are not related, as confirmed by HLN: “He (Arne) played most of his youth career at Club Brugge, just like Bjorn Engels. But they are not family.”

Arne Engels Celtic transfer fee

As mentioned above, Celtic spent a record £11m to sign Engels from German outfit FC Augsburg. He signed a four year contract with the Bhoys.

Engels Celtic contract & salary

View every Celtic player’s weekly wages.

• Weekly wage: £16,000
• Annual salary: £832,000
• Contract expires: June 2028

Arne Engels stats for Celtic

Engels penalty record for Celtic

Of the 10 goals Engels has scored for Celtic as of May 2025, eight of them were converted from the penalty spot.

He has missed just one of his nine penalties taken for the Hoops, which came against Young Boys in the Champions League. Celtic still went on to win the game 1-0.

What is the Arne Engels Celtic song?

Well, Celtic fans haven’t exactly come to an agreement over their song for Engels. At first, he was going to have a song based on Robbie Williams’ smash hit ‘Angels’ – but that doesn’t appear to have lasted.

Then, during a game away to Ross County in January, Celtic fans started singing Engels’ name to the tune of Shakira’s song ‘Waka Waka’, with one of the lines: “11 million down the drain, Arne Engels scores again!”

Reacting to the latter song, Engels said: “It’s unbelievable! It’s always nice to hear that appreciation, and it’s up to me to keep this going, keep this level, and I hope they will sing it even more.”