Why Celtic fans should forget about Arne Engels’ price tag as Peter Grant defends record signing

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Arne Engels is yet to hit the heights for Celtic this season.

The 21-year-old midfielder was brought to the club by Brendan Rodgers for a record fee of £11 million last summer, and has split opinion since then.

The signing has been far from a flop – Engels has been a part of some excellent Celtic wins, and has shown moments of pure quality.

But he has begun this season being used mostly as a sub following the arrival of Benjamin Nygren. Given a starting an opportunity in Saturday’s goalless draw with Hibernian, Engels struggled to make an impact.

It may not have been an ideal start for Engels, but one former Hoops defender has rushed to his defence.

Peter Grant on Celtic’s Arne Engels

Engels came to the club with a big reputation at Augsburg in the Bundesliga, and has earned senior caps for Belgium during his time at Celtic.

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Speaking to the Daily Record, Peter Grant said that there is a talented player there, despite an underwhelming start to his second season.

He said: “I thought he was unfairly criticised last year. To be fair to the kid, forget about being £11m. That’s very, very difficult to judge. It’s not the boy who puts it on.

“I never think anybody’s worth £11m. There are reserve players down in England moving for £25m and I’ve never heard of them.

“The one thing I would try and get out of people’s minds is forget the price tag. I only judge him on how he’s performing, how well he’s playing. I thought he was very quiet on Saturday. He’s not at the good levels I thought he showed last year.

“I thought he was a goal threat. I thought his passing was excellent. I thought his running without receiving the ball was excellent.

“He got in the box. He made unselfish runs, which created space for others. I’ve no doubt there’s a talented boy in there.”

If the Hoops are to keep rotating the midfield, Engels won’t be short on competition.

Brendan Rodgers is not short on midfield options for Celtic

Luke McCowan has impressed for Celtic when involved so far this season, so Engels is not the only one vying to get into the first XI.

Nygren has often been the preferred choice for the third man in the midfield trio however, with Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor seemingly nailed on.

Let’s not forget Paulo Bernardo, who remains a much-liked player by the fans with a record of impressive performances too.

There may be question marks over the strengths of his squad in certain areas, but Rodgers cannot complain about his midfield options – that’s for sure.