Martin O'Neill has confirmed Arne Engels was reluctant to play for Celtic before his £22million move to West Ham, but fans should not be enraged.
Engels became the most expensive player in EFL history when he secured his big move to the London Stadium. It surprised many that Engels did not go directly to the Premier League having been the subject of a £25million bid from Nottingham Forest back in January, but West Ham had big money to spend this summer due to some big sales.
Celtic were hoping to keep Engels until the Champions League qualifiers, which kick off on Wednesday night, but Engels has now departed having been key to seal his big move.
O'Neill reveals Engels stance
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night's game, Celtic boss O'Neill said: "Of course it is. Yeah, I think that Arne wanted to go. He didn’t want to play in the matches in case he got injured. I think I said again last week that that was understandable if this is a move that he wanted to make.
“But for the football club, yeah, disappointing really because just at this moment, he’s hard to replace in the side. You know, that sort of running power that he has and that he gives us.
“So, just even for these two games, that is disappointing. It is what it is and it’s nothing we can do about it.”
Celtic fans should not be enraged
Some Celtic fans may skip straight to being furious with Engels about not wanting to play for the club while waiting for his move, but this is simply part of the business.
Engels got his head down and worked like a professional after being denied a Premier League move by the club in January at a time when he could have been blasting balls around in training and refusing to play. Without him, Celtic would not have won the league and cup double they ended up winning. No chance.
This summer, his big move arrived, and fans have to understand that moves like this one are huge for players and their families. Forget the playing ambition, these types of moves set families up for financial security for decades to come if finances are managed properly.
One injury, which could happen at any point in a game or training, can make that move disappear, perhaps temporarily or perhaps for good.
Clubs look after their best interests at every step of the way. They will happily deny a player a big payday through a transfer, and they will just as happily not renew a player's contract if he picks up an injury at the wrong time.
Players have to put their own interests first, and to Engels' credit, he did play both league games while the move was developing. Not every player would have.
Not wanting to play is a reality of football transfers, and in defence of Engels, O'Neill is a little out of line in even mentioning it, given Engels played. There was nothing to explain here and no need to spark anger from fans towards a player who has been excellent for the club.
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