Celtic midfielder Arne Engels says he’s enjoying every minute at the club and is hungry to win trophies. The Belgian joined earlier this season and has been impressed by how much everyone at Celtic wants to win.
Engels says that attitude is shared by the whole team, and it’s something he hadn’t seen before, having joined from Bundesliga side Augsburg last summer for a club-record fee.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “Even if you look to James, there are many trophies he has. He still wants to win another one. I think it’s the winning feeling that is really addicted to us and that we really want to have in the end.
“I think that’s also a good thing here — that everybody wants to win and wants to win trophies. That’s also something different and new to me, and I really like it.”
Engels has fitted in well with the team. He’s played alongside experienced players like Callum McGregor and others closer to his own age. But the desire to win every week has clearly had a lasting impact on him, adding a mindset to his game that simply wasn’t there before.
At 21, Engels still has a lot to learn, but it says a lot about him that he’s been paying attention to players like James Forrest — someone who might not get much attention across Europe, but if you play for or support Celtic, you quickly realise how much he’s given to the club and how much he still gives every week. That’s something Engels has clearly taken notice of.
For such a young player, Engels speaks well. And with his price tag, it’s easy to forget that he still has a long way to go. But he’s had a more than respectable first season at the club — and there’s certainly more to come next year.
