What Rangers boss told £11m Celtic signing about moving to Parkhead as he provides ringing Hoops endorsement
Celtic shelled out a club record fee to bring the Belgian international to Parkhead on deadline day.
Arne Engels has promised Celtic he will repay the faith placed in him after their record transfer investment - insisting he has signed for “the biggest club in Scotland”.
The reigning Premiership champions splashed out £11 million to bring the 21-year-old midfielder to Parkhead from German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg in a blockbuster deadline day move. Manager Brendan Rodgers was keen for the Hoops hierarchy to immediately reinvest some of the £30m made on Matt O’Riley sale to Brighton, and the Northern Irishman was granted his wish in the final hours of the window.
Engels, who was introduced to Scottish football with a maiden appearance as a substitute in Celtic’s 3-0 win over Rangers - is aware that such a lofty price tag comes with added pressure and high expectations, but the Belgian international is confident he can flourish in Glasgow’s east end just days after making his senior national team debut.
“It's a really big club, the biggest in Scotland,” he admitted. ”They play every time for the championship and for the league cups and everything. It's obvious that it's a a step forward for me. Also with the new format for the Champions League, I think it can be really amazing and special for us.
“They obviously paid a big amount for me and I want to return a lot for the club. I just want to be in my best form and perform like I always do. That's why they did it. It's up to me now to adapt to the situation and to the team. It's an amazing team. Everyone is speaking to me really well and is teaching me a lot, so I think it's going to be really easy to integrate and to perform.”
Engels was spotted embracing Gers manager Philippe Clement ahead of Celtic’s Old Firm league win at Parkhead earlier this month. The pair worked together previously during their time at Club Brugge. Asked what Clement said to him at the time, Engels stated: “He said it was a good step for me.
“We spoke a bit of course from the last years that we were together in Brugge, so nothing special actually. He just wished me good luck and that’s it.”