Brendan Rodgers addressed questions about Arne Engels ahead of last Saturday’s Premiership clash with Hibernian, making clear that the Belgian midfielder remains an important part of his plans despite increased competition for places.
Engels, who joined Celtic for a club-record fee from Augsburg, has faced scrutiny this season after being rotated in and out of the starting XI. The arrival of Benjamin Nygren has added further pressure, with Rodgers preferring the Swede in certain games due to his greater goal output.
Speaking pre-match, Rodgers admitted that goals were a factor in his selection choices, but he insisted Engels’ contribution to the squad goes beyond the scoresheet. While Nygren offers a proven scoring threat, the Irishman highlighted other qualities Engels brings to the group.
Rodgers made clear that places in his side are never guaranteed and that every player must continue to earn their spot. For Engels, the message was clear: keep working, add more direct attacking returns, and the rest will follow.
He said: (BBC Radio Scotland), “Arne’s role in the squad is very, very important.
“I don’t think there are too many players, if any, that will be to cement their place in the team.
“But, of course, it’s one where Benji (Nygren) has played in front of him this season, more because of his goal threat. We lost goals out of our team. A lot of goals.
“And Arne hasn’t scored as many goals as, say, what Nygren has done in his career. He is a player who affects, creates goals and scores goals.
“So, for Arne, he just needs to continue what he is doing and provide the goal threat. He works hard. He gives us other qualities that we need within our squad.”
Rodgers wants players who can score and create, and that’s where Engels has to step up. When you cost Celtic £11 million, it’s not enough to just show flashes of talent. Goals and assists are what matter, and he hasn’t produced enough yet.
Nygren cost far less and has already shown he can make an impact. That puts even more pressure on Engels, who has to prove why the club spent so much money on him.
Competition for places is good for Celtic, but Engels can’t afford to fall behind. He wasn’t signed to sit on the bench while cheaper players take the spotlight. Rodgers has backed him, but that support won’t last forever if he doesn’t start delivering.
“The midfielder still has time to put things right, but the message is clear. Celtic broke their transfer record to bring him in, and now he has to show he’s worth it. Sadly, against Hibs, he didn’t.
Rodgers needs to man up and admit that he blew £11M on Engels! We should cut our losses on him. Move him along for anything we can get in the January transfer window and let someone else select transfer targets apart from Rodgers!
We have McCowan and Bernardo, both warming the bench most of the season! Yet Engels gets game time, though not so much this season certainly!
This is exactly the reasoning used by Lennon Miller for NOT considering Celtic when he moved from Motherwell in the summer market! He said we had too many midfielders and he would be competing with too many players!
The fact that we threw away £11M on Engels is NOT a good enough reason to select him over McCowan and/or Bernardo, EVER!
We need to accept his signing was a massive mistake.
Absolutely. I wouldn’t trust BR with the money for a fish supper when you look at some of the duds he has signed – nearby 30 million on Engels, Trusty and Idah and not a decent player among them.
Gees peace Joe. Look back to the rumours about Engels last season, should have been 6 or 7 million but as usual the board made a cunt of it leaving it till deadline day.
Irrespective of the price tag, hes a young guy, who since joining the club now has champions league experience and is a full Belgian international.
If anybody think we will ever lose money on Emgels they are dreaming. The balance of the midfield this season has been all over the place. Mcgregors been off his own standards, hatate has been a shadow of himself, and nygren has shown flashes and hidden in equal measures. Engels will play a lot of football this season, there is no doubt.
Precisely this. Theres a whole recruitment team behind Rodgers also.
It’s been and has been Liewell who buys the players, Ange picked the Japanese players and that’s it. The manager no matter who apart from Martin, say they picked the players. No Liewell does it, hence the crap bought at the beginning of the windows.
I find it very frustrating when people write things like, “Nygren who was much cheaper” as if that is a relevant metric.
We paid £2m to get Nygren our of a deal with 6 months to go.
If he had 3 years on that deal, that means you’re paying £12m.
And yes, that is exactly how it works. Clubs were willing to pay £35m for Marc Guehi for example, with 1 year to go on his deal, the previous Summer bids were around £60m. So effectively, clubs have to pay £35m per year of contract to run.
The financial illiteracy of fans and even people who write articles has been the centre point of a narrative spun around Engels, and its frustrating when people form hardline opinions based on, frankly, their own ignorance as to how players are valued.
You have to agree leaving it late when told how much at the start to buy a player is Liewell through and through. And the price just goes up with regards a six million pound player, costing 9 million. The man should never have been allowed back to the board, let alone Celtic. No matter how much he supports them.
Yes Brendan wanted him, it was Liewells fault it went so high. And Brendan got blamed, by the board and the few fans who didn’t read it from the start.