Nuno Espirito Santo's Vision: Arne Engels and West Ham's Premier League Ambitions

Nuno Espirito Santo is not hiding the plan. West Ham’s £22m move for Arne Engels is not about surviving the Championship. It’s about getting out of it.

The 22-year-old Belgian, signed from Celtic in a club-record deal for a Championship player, is expected to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday. For Nuno, that first outing is just the start of a much bigger picture.

“He’s a fantastic player,” Nuno told BBC Radio London. “We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us.”

Engels arrives with numbers that explain the excitement. Seventeen goals and 22 assists in 100 games for Celtic over two seasons, operating with the kind of all-round midfield profile Nuno has been craving. Goals, creativity, work-rate – and the engine to knit a side together over a long campaign.

“He’s a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area,” Nuno said. “He’s someone we truly believe who is going to come in, step in and help us. He’s a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he’s a hard worker.”

The message is consistent. This is a signing made with promotion in mind, not just a push for the play-offs.

“All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also.”

Attack rebuilt with Mukasa and Piroe

Engels is the headline fee, but Nuno has quietly reshaped his attack around him.

England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa has returned to West Ham on loan from Manchester City for the season, a move that brings one of the club’s brightest academy products back into familiar surroundings. Dutch forward Joel Piroe, a proven scorer at this level, has also arrived on loan from Leeds, adding a different threat in and around the box.

Nuno is not simply stockpiling forwards. He is building contrasts.

“We should have different profiles in different positions. It’s about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions,” he said. “It’s not about numbers, it’s about profiles and in the end, what we want to achieve is to have a very balanced squad.”

Engels as the creative hub. Mukasa with youthful movement and sharpness. Piroe as the penalty-box finisher. It is a blend aimed at one thing: making sure West Ham’s next big signing is unveiled back in the Premier League, not in the second tier.