The Belgium midfielder was signed for a club record fee in the summer and is on the verge of winning a Treble
13:14, 14 Apr 2025Updated 13:36, 14 Apr 2025
Celtic’s £11million man Arne Engels(Image: SNS Group)
Arne Engels insists he’s loving life at Celtic – but admits his debut season has been a rollercoaster.
Celts shattered their transfer record by shelling out £11million to sign the Belgium international from Augsburg in the summer.
Engels has contributed ten goals and 12 assists for the Treble-chasers so far, but for some, the jury remains out on the midfielder.
It’s been a whirlwind campaign for the 21-year-old, who has tasted Champions League football for the first time and also lifted his first major trophy.
More silverware could be on the way as Brendan Rodgers’ men close in on the Premiership title and a Scottish Cup Final.
And despite having his critics, Engels says he’s relishing the pressure and demands of playing for an elite club like Celtic.
He said: “I love it, actually. This winning mentality is something that suits me really well and I was looking forward to.
“I found it and there are still two more things to win. Everybody is really focused on that and now it’s about winning and that’s what we love to do.
“But about the season, everything has gone really smoothly and good. Of course, it was my first season so there were a lot of ups and downs.
“But I think there were a lot of ups also and we just need to think about those also and not only about one or two months that it was a bit less. That’s how it is, especially at a big club like this when you need to perform every week and every game.
Arne Engels has 22 goal contributions this season(Image: SNS Group)
“I’m just looking forward to ending this season really well and in a really good way and hopefully win some more.”
Engels lost his place in the team around the festive period but has wrestled back his position in the starting line-up.
Asked how he dealt with the tough moments this season has thrown up, he told the Celtic FC podcast: “I think quite okay. I don’t read a lot so that’s a good point that I’m not really watching those things on the internet.
“I just know what I’m doing, I’m still a young player and it’s my first season here. I still need to work on things and also settle in.
“Now, I’m really settled in and I know everything now. Everything is also going really well next to the pitch so it’s now up to me to focus on my game, and do the things I need to do every day to improve also in the gym and stuff.
“But I think I coped really well with it and I wasn’t really stressing because I was believing in my own qualities.
“That’s also a good point of me, that I’m not really thinking about the bad things every time but also knowing my qualities and abilities, that I’m capable of trying to do something and trying to get an assist or a goal.
“Yeah, I hope that I can help the team a little bit more with those things and I’m sure I will.”
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