West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking about the signing of Arne Engels from Celtic. Engels joined the Hammers on a £22million deal last week, becoming the most expensive EFL signing of all time.
The Iron are eyeing an instant return to the Premier League, managing to keep hold of Jarrod Bowen so far, while also signing Engels and Joel Piroe, who joined from Leeds United on loan. Although they have lost key players Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville following relegation from the Premier League.
Santo on Engels signing
Engels was always expected to leave Celtic this summer, having been the subject of a £25million offer back in January, but it was surprising to see him join a Championship club amid interest from the Premier League.
But as Santo explains, Engels is clearly a signing with the Premier League in mind, with the Belgian likely to be the most expensive signing of the summer for the Hammers, and indeed any team in the second tier.
"He's a fantastic player," Nuno told BBC Radio London. "We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us. He's a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area.
"He's someone we truly believe who is going to come in, step in and help us. He's a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he's a hard worker.
"All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also."
That's a luxury position for West Ham to find themselves in, and it's hard to imagine them missing out on promotion when you look at their squad and how some of the players they have kept hold of impressed in the Premier League in the second half of last season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google