West Ham United have signed Belgian midfielder, Arne Engels from Celtic in an EFL transfer record of £22m.
Engels’ move to the Hammers comes after a successful two years at Celtic where he produced 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances across all competitions, during which he helped them win the Scottish League Cup in 2024-25 season then Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup last season.
West Ham’s £22m transfer signing of Engels also topped the £17.5m fee that Ipswich paid Nordsjaelland last year for Sindre Walle Egeli, thereby setting a new EFL record transfer fee.
“It feels amazing to be here, so I’m delighted and I can’t wait to get started,” explained Engels who has signed a five-year contract until June 2031 at the London Stadium with an option for a further year, and will wear the number seven shirt.
“It’s a really nice project to come into and try to to go back to the Premier League. That’s the big goal. I think that’s everybody’s goal and it’s just up to me to hopefully help the team with it and together with the supporters to get some wins. Hopefully, we’ll see that it’s going to be a good year then and I’m looking forward to the next ones.
“I’m just looking forward to meeting all the fans at London Stadium. I’m looking forward to this challenging season, but hopefully we can make it a really good one, so let’s go for it!”
West Ham’s Director of Player Recruitment, Nils Koppen added: “We are really pleased to have secured Arne’s signing – he is a player we have been tracking for some time as a key target.
“For a player who is still very young with his best years in front of him, he has very good experience and has established himself at a big club, showing consistency and confidence.
“Again, we believe Arne has the right traits, both as a player and as a character, to fit into what we are trying to build moving forward. He is very motivated to be here for this challenge, and we are excited to see him develop.2
Engels began his career at Club Brugge in their youth academy and made his senior debut for their reserve side – Club NXT for who he scored three goals in 35 appearances across two-and-a-half seasons before he was sold to FC Augsburg in January 2023.
He spent 18 months at the German club with three goals in 53 appearances before he joined Celtic.
Engels represents Belgium at international level with his four senior caps having all come in autumn 2024 following his move to Celtic.
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