West Ham have made Arne Engels the costliest signing in Championship historical past after finishing a £22m transfer for the Celtic midfielder.
The Belgium worldwide has agreed a five-year contract with the Hammers, who’re getting ready for his or her first season within the second tier since 2012 following relegation from the Premier League in Could.
The charge surpasses the earlier Championship report of £17.5m, paid by Ipswich City for Norway worldwide Sindre Walle Egeli final summer time.
Engels won’t be able to make his West Ham debut instantly, nonetheless, which means he’ll miss Sunday’s opening-day journey to Burnley.
His first alternative is prone to come towards Charlton Athletic at London Stadium on August 22.
The 22-year-old arrives after two seasons at Celtic, the place he helped the membership win consecutive Scottish Premiership titles.
Engels made 100 appearances for the Glasgow giants, scoring 17 targets and offering 22 assists, after becoming a member of from Augsburg in August 2024. He beforehand got here via the academy at Membership Brugge.
Engles caps busy summer time in East London
He turns into West Ham’s fourth signing of the summer time, following Venezuela midfielder Keiber Lamadrid, Dutch defender Joel Veltman and Israel winger Manor Solomon.
West Ham’s director of participant recruitment Nils Koppen believes Engels suits the profile the membership are in search of as they try and return to the Premier League on the first try.
“Arne is somebody we’ve got adopted for a while and recognized as a key goal,” Koppen advised the membership web site.
“Regardless of his age, he already has appreciable expertise and has proven that he can carry out persistently at a serious membership.
“He has the qualities, each on the pitch and as an individual, that we would like as we construct for the longer term.”
Engels has received 4 caps for Belgium and is relishing the problem of serving to West Ham escape the Championship.
“It’s a very thrilling mission to be a part of,” he stated.
“The principle goal is to get again to the Premier League. That’s what everybody needs.
“Now it’s all the way down to me to assist the staff obtain that, and hopefully we will have a very good season along with the supporters.”
