West Ham back in for Engels but Celtic should make them wait | OneFootball

West Ham are set to test Celtic’s resolve with a third bid for Belgian midfielder Arne Engels after the Championship side has had two bids thrown out by the Scottish Champions…

Arne Engels of Celtic. Celtic v Dundee, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 3 August 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO Shutterstock

Third Time Lucky for West Ham?

David Friel at The Scottish Sun reports that the recently relegated English side are looking at being third time lucky as they come back to Celtic will their highest bid so far.

Nottingham Forest’s £25m million bid for Engels in the closing day of the January transfer window sets the benchmark price that Celtic will be looking for and West Ham, who are keen to bring in the Celtic midfielder as soon as possible, will now have to match that earlier bid if they are to get the green light from Celtic for the the transfer.

Engels has other admirers

Engels has other admirers including Roma and perhaps Forest will return to the table as the window progresses. If there is Premier League interest as the window progresses, Engels, who has already agreed personal terms with the Hammers, may opt for that rather than a season in the Championship.

Arne Engels of Celtic FC (L) tries to escape Silas Andersen of Sporting CP (R) during the Sporting CP v Celtic FC Pre-Season Friendly match at Estadio Algarve on July 14, 2026 in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill in no rush to see Engels or Alistair Johnston leave

The Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is in no rush to sell Engels, or indeed his Celtic teammate Alistair Johnston who is wanted by Everton, as he would like both players to be available for the Champions League playoff round matches against Austrian Champions LASK with the first leg taking place at Celtic Park on Wednesday 19 August with the return leg in Linz six days later on Tuesday 25 August.

Austria ADMIRAL Bundesliga 20262027, Matchday 1, July 31, 2026: Linzer ASK LASK vs. Grazer AK 1902 GAK at Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria. Pictured: Goal celebration, goal, Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran, LASK, against GAK. Photo IIMAGO

West Ham and Everton might have to be patient

Whether West Ham and indeed Everton are prepared to be patient is another matter. However even if they move onto other targets it’s still likely that Celtic will receive bids from elsewhere for two players who have plenty of admirers.

With £40m at stake, together with the possibility of a huge supporter backlash if the club yet again fail to reach the Champions League proper due to failing to act decisively in recruitment and swiftness to see off top talent, Celtic may opt to play the longer game with these two transfers.

Paulo Bernardo the latest to leave Celtic

Martin O’Neill would certainly favour that option, as indeed would the Celtic support, who are desperate to see additions to the squad rather than further sales. And last night Paulo Bernardo left Celtic for a season loan in Poland, meaning that numbers and quality in the middle of the park are now worrying low even before we contemplate the loss or Arne Engels.

On Monday evening the Celtic boss was asked if the club would stand firm in rejecting bids before the crunch £40m play-off against LASK.

“Ideally that would be brilliant,” Martin O’Neill

“Ideally that would be brilliant,” Martin O’Neill said after Celtic’s 1-0 opener to the season against Dundee at Celtic Park.

“That’s one of the things we’ll definitely look at. I seriously could not say for sure. You’d have to take the players’ thoughts into consideration and maybe the other club’s, but for me, selfishly, that would be great.”

There are gaps all over the current Celtic squad, with Greg Taylor expected to arrive as cover for Kieran Tierney at left-back A new goalkeeper is a priority for Martin O’Neill and there are ongoing attempts to bring in Mika Baur from Bundesliga side Paderborn.

Mika Baur SC Paderborn,14, Football Bundesliga season 2025 2026 VfL Wolfsburg vs SC Paderborn at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg Germany 21 May 2026. Photo IMAGO / Christian Schroedter

Meanwhile in the wide areas Celtic’s pursuit of both Haissem Hassan and Fares Ghedjemis drags on with Celtic still in pole position to sign the latter should the valuation from Italian outfit Frosinone be met.

Ultimately Celtic should be looking at strengthening , not weakening the squad for the Champions League playoff. That is the priority and you have to factor in just how poor our record is in these play-off matches.

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