Celtic Faces Criticism Over Arne Engels' £22 Million Move Timing

Chris Sutton has unloaded on Celtic over the timing of Arne Engels’ £22 million move to West Ham, branding it “unthinkable” that the club are allowing a key player to leave on the eve of a huge Champions League tie.

The 22-year-old Belgian, a breakout star at Parkhead last season, is closing in on a switch to the London Stadium after a fee believed to be a record for a Championship club was thrashed out. All that remains are the final formalities before he swaps Glasgow for E20.

Engels has earned it on the pitch. Seven goals and eight assists across 46 games in all competitions, a relentless presence in midfield and a driving force in Celtic’s domestic and European push. No surprise Nuno Espirito Santo wants him in the door as quickly as possible with West Ham’s league campaign starting on Sunday.

That urgency is exactly what infuriates Sutton.

“Unthinkable” timing

Speaking to the Daily Record, the former Celtic striker and club legend tore into the decision to cash in now, with a Champions League play-off against LASK looming large.

“There's so much on the line, it's unthinkable to go in to this match in a weaker position – but that's what is going to happen with Engels gone,” he said.

Sutton accepts the logic from West Ham’s side. They want their new signing in, bedded and ready, with the Championship about to kick off. But he insists Celtic should never have allowed that timetable to dictate their own.

“I get that it's big money and I understand why West Ham want him now, with the Championship kicking off this weekend. But that's not Celtic's problem. They had to look after themselves.”

For Sutton, that’s the crux. The fee is big, the opportunity huge for the player, but Celtic are willingly stripping themselves of a major asset before the most important fixture of their season so far. The club’s route to the Champions League, and all the financial and sporting rewards that follow, is being attacked from within.

West Ham’s gain

Sutton’s anger doubles as a ringing endorsement of Engels. You don’t rage about losing a squad player. You rage about losing someone who changes games.

West Ham are banking on exactly that. Once the paperwork lands and registration is complete, Engels is expected to be thrown straight into the action. If the Hammers can get him registered before noon on 15 August, he could debut against Burnley.

Miss that cut-off, and attention turns to the trip to Charlton on 22 August, or the EFL Cup tie with Southampton on 25 August. Either way, his first appearance in claret and blue is not far away.

Crucially, Engels arrives match-ready. He has a full pre-season under his belt with Celtic and has already featured in two Scottish Premiership games. There’s no conditioning catch-up, no rust to shake off. Nuno is inheriting a midfielder who can step straight into the Championship’s intensity.

For a club aiming to bounce back and mount a promotion charge, that matters. Engels is not a project. He is a plug-in-and-play upgrade.

Celtic left exposed

Back in Glasgow, the mood is very different. Sutton’s frustration mirrors that of many around the club. The timing grates. Europe’s biggest competition is on the line, and Celtic are voluntarily weakening themselves days before the play-off.

The sense of irritation runs through every part of the support: losing a player of Engels’ calibre is one thing; doing it now, when the season’s biggest task is still in the balance, is another entirely.

The financial reality is clear: £22 million is hard to turn down in the Scottish market. Yet as Sutton points out, that windfall does nothing for Celtic against LASK next week. The money can’t press, tackle or create.

For West Ham, the deal underlines their pulling power. Even after dropping into the Championship, they can tempt one of Celtic’s standout performers away from a club preparing for Champions League football. That says plenty about the lure of English football, even outside the top flight.

Sutton might not like it, Celtic might regret the timing, but for Engels and West Ham, the real verdict will come soon enough — on a cold afternoon against Burnley or under the lights in the EFL Cup, when the Championship’s newest £22 million midfielder has the chance to show exactly why this transfer caused such a storm.