West Ham Sets EFL Record with £22m Signing of Arne Engels from Celtic
West Ham United has officially broken the EFL transfer record by securing Arne Engels for a £22 million fee from Celtic. The 22-year-old Belgium international has committed to a five-year contract, marking a significant investment for the club. This transfer surpasses the previous record of £17.5 million set by Ipswich Town last year for Norway forward Sindre Walle Egeli. Following their relegation in May, West Ham prepares for their first Championship season since 2012, starting with an away match against Burnley on Sunday. Engels, who boasts an impressive record with 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances for Celtic, will make his debut at home in the league derby against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, 22 August. This signing marks West Ham's fourth acquisition of the summer, following the additions of Venezuelan midfielder Keiber Lamadrid, Dutch defender Joel Veltman, and Israeli winger Manor Solomon. Nils Koppen, West Ham's director of player recruitment, expressed excitement about Engels, stating, "Arne is a player we have been tracking for some time as a key target. He has very good experience and has established himself at a big club, showing consistency and confidence." Engels, who has made four appearances for Belgium and won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic after joining from Augsburg in August 2024, emphasized his enthusiasm about the project at West Ham. "It's a really nice project to come into... That's the big goal. Hopefully, it's going to be a good year."
Source: BBC Sport - 2026-08-15