Former Celtic striker turned pundit Chris Sutton has told fans to relax about Arne Engels and be assured he will eventually come good.
Engels, the club’s record signing, joined the Hoops for a hefty £11m from Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg on summer transfer deadline day.
So far, the 21-year-old hasn’t met the lofty expectations set by some supporters.
He has shown his talent in flashes but has yet to find any real consistency in Glasgow’s east end.
Sutton has told those fans expecting more consistent displays from the midfielder to reign it in: “It seems some supporters are concerned they are not getting enough bang for their buck with the Belgian (Engels),” he said (RecordSport).
“They need to calm down. They also need to ignore the £11m price tag.
“Look, it’s a lot of money for a transfer in Scotland. But when you consider the market Celtic are shopping in – it’s practically buttons.
“I’m serious. Celtic are trying to be a Champions League team but at that level £11m doesn’t get you a back up left back, never mind a box-to-box midfielder. It would barely buy you a right boot in the English Premier League.
“Regardless of the price tag, Engels is still a development player. I get the might be hard for some fans to get their heads around, but it’s the truth.”
Given Celtic’s track record of developing players similar to Engels’ profile – Matt O’Riley, Nicolas Kuhn, and Liel Abada, to a certain extent – he will eventually come good.
Several supporters perhaps expect standout displays every week from the centre-mid because he is the club’s record £11m signing, but as Sutton alludes to, he remains a youngster with a wealth of growth potential.
Indeed, despite his displays having been somewhat inconsistent, Sutton pointed out several good things he’s done since joining the Bhoys: “I’ve got no doubt Engels will realise that potential at Parkhead as well,” he said.
“It’s not like he’s been hopeless. Far from it. There’s been a lot of good stuff in his first few months at the club. He has really looked the part in some of the European games in particular. He’s already a Belgian full international.
“There are still some rough edges – but there are going to be.”
It remains to be seen whether Engels will get the nod when Celtic welcome Ross County to Parkhead later this afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers is expected to make some changes to Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Club Brugge, especially given his side’s hectic fixture schedule.
