West Ham chief reveals Celtic reluctance during £22m summer transfer negotiations

Engels’ departure was one of the biggest decisions made at Parkhead during the transfer window, with Celtic banking a significant profit on the Belgian midfielder just two years after signing him from Augsburg.

The timing proved particularly significant, with Engels leaving before Celtic’s Champions League play-off against LASK despite Martin O’Neill making clear he would have preferred to retain the midfielder for the tie.

Celtic had already demonstrated their determination to keep Engels by rejecting a £25million bid from Nottingham Forest in January, but eventually agreed a deal with West Ham in August.

Now, West Ham’s Director of Player Recruitment has offered an insight into the negotiations and confirmed Celtic were initially reluctant sellers.

Speaking on West Ham’s Iron Cast podcast, Koppen explained that replacing Mateus Fernandes was one of the club’s major summer priorities.

He said: “That position was where we said we must spend the most because of what we lost with Mateus leaving.”

“Sometimes the players we want to sign will never be ‘available’ because the club doesn’t want to sell them because they’re also top players for them.

“For example, that was the case with Celtic and Arne Engels. We as a club and as a board had to try to go around the table with that club to get it done. These clubs don’t want to sell these players.

“But every player has a price and it’s up to us to find the best possible deal to get the player to the club.”

Koppen also revealed that Engels’ experience of dealing with the demands at Celtic was viewed as an important part of his suitability for West Ham.

He continued: “He’s a young boy but already he has a lot of stuff on his resume, winning things under massive pressure and you can compare I guess the pressure of Celtic Park with the London Stadium with a massive fanbase.

“So he ticks so many boxes that we thought ‘let’s go all in’. It was a long journey, but we’re very happy that we got that one over the line.

“He is definitely one that we think in the Premier League can be a good asset.”