Arne Engels has said goodbye to Celtic after his big-money move to EFL Championship side West Ham. The midfielder was always expected to leave this summer having stuck around despite a £25million bid back in January.
The Belgian showed incredible professionalism to get his head down and play a central role in Celtic rallying back to a league title and cup despite being denied a big-money Premier League move.
But Engels was allowed to move on this summer, with West Ham ultimately reaching a £22million deal to make him the flagship replacement for Mateus Fernandes, who joined Tottenham on an £85million deal.
Celtic would have liked to have kept Engels beyond the Champions League playoff qualifiers on August 19 and 25, but that wasn't the case, with the Hammers having been determined to get Engels in ahead of their opening game this weekend.
Engels has been made the record signing for a Championship club, and upon signing, the midfielder said: "It's a really nice project to come into. To try to go back to the Premier League. That's the big goal.
"It's just up to me to hopefully help the team with it and together with the supporters to get some wins. Hopefully it's going to be a good year."
Engels says goodbye to Celtic
Writing on Instagram, Engels said goodbye to Celtic fans with a classy message. He wrote: "After two incredible years, it's time for me to say goodbye to Celtic.
"I'm leaving with nothing but gratitude for the time I've had at this club. I've experienced so many special moments, lifted trophies, created unforgettable memories and had the honour of representing Celtic.
"Wearing this shirt and playing in front of the supporters has been a privilege I'll always be grateful for.
I'll look back on my time here with great pride and carry these memories with me for the rest of my career.
"Thank you to my teammates, the staff, everyone at the club and, of course, the supporters for making these two years so special. Thank you for everything, Celtic."
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