Nobody is going to deny that the transfer window is as inflated as it has ever been.
Not just for teams like Celtic, but more so across Europe, with the English Premier League playing a huge part in that and the ridiculous sums players are now sold for.
Whatever you think of Celtic’s 2025 summer transfer business, one thing you can’t deny is that the club know how to sell a player and make a big profit, as they proved with the sale of Nicolas Kuhn to Como.
Liverpool are another team that knows how to get top dollar for their players, regardless of their status, and their sale of Tyler Morton has been brought up in a conversation about Celtic and Arne Engels.
Arne Engels’ transfer deal defended amid Tyler Morton’s sale from Liverpool to Lyon
Morton has joined French giants Olympique Lyonnais in a £15 million deal – he played 14 times for the Reds in all competitions.
This was brought up by Jim Duffy on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard when he was defending Engels, and the £11 million price tag on his head, because many used that to beat him with.
Duffy explained, ‘that’s the market we live in’, and he also feels it’s ‘unfair’ to judge players on their price tag, as he thinks Engels will come good.
“I think Engels is one where I still think he has real talent,” said Duffy. “He’s very young, and he needs to know how to play for Celtic. The demands.
“I think he would have learnt a lot from last year. I genuinely believe he will be a lot better this year. Whether it justifies a fee of £10 million or £11 million, it is up to everybody else’s opinion. That’s just the nature of where we are.
“I was looking at Liverpool letting go of a young boy at £15 million. I think it was Tyler Morton. He has hardly played a game. That’s just the market we live in.
“I think it’s a wee bit unfair to judge players that come in for the value, because that’s just the market. Adam Idah is the same.”
Engels’ first season at Celtic in numbers
It doesn’t help matters that Engels was benched against St Mirren, with Brendan Rodgers opting to start summer signing Benjamin Nygren instead.
There were many good moments from the Belgium star in his debut campaign, but there is no doubt that the critics want more.
If he can improve on his goals, as well as being more impactful during the bigger games, then the praise will come his way.
- Games in 2024/25: 52
- Starts: 39
- Goals: 10
- Assists: 13
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