‘Always ready’ - New Celtic star explains what attracted him to Parkhead ahead of potential Rangers debut
Celtic completed a club-record deal to sign Arne Engels this week
New Celtic star Arne Engels has huge boots to fill as he arrives to replace Matt O’Riley after his Scottish record £25m departure to Brighton & Hove Albion.
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The Belgian also has the added pressure of being Celtic’s most expensive footballer at £11m but he insists he is ready to go in what could be a baptism of fire against Old-Firm rivals Rangers this weekend.
In his first interview with Celtic TV, the 20-year-old insisted that he can’t wait to get going and is hopeful of making the starting line-up. He said: “I hope so. It’s the choice of the manager so I will see about that, but I’m always ready, so we will see.
“The trust that the club and the manager is giving me is a lot and it’s nice to experience. It’s also a bonus point actually, so it always nice to hear this from such a really good manager.
“Celtic has a style that suits me really well so that’s also one of the reasons that I wanted to join this really big club. It will be amazing to create a lot of chances and to get a lot of possession in games. It’s a new experience so it will be really nice.”
Engels arrives on the back of a successful season at Augsburg which saw him register three goals and two assists in the Bundesliga whilst emerging as a key player for Belgium’s U21 team.
The 20-year-old was one of three deadline deals at Parkhead along with Sheffield United defender Auston Trusty and Dundee playmaker Luke McCowan.
Celtic are targeting a fourth consecutive title defence and have a huge chance to take command of the title race when they play host to Rangers in this weekend’s standout fixture.