Celtic are back in action in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday as they prepare to welcome Hearts to Parkhead in the fifth match of the season.
The Hoops have won all four of their league games without conceding a single goal so far and will be looking to maintain their perfect start against the Jam Tarts.
Brendan Rodgers won the title in his first season back in Glasgow and is now plotting a course to back-to-back trophies since his return to the club last summer.
Celtic have beaten Kilmarnock, Hibernian, St Mirren, and Rangers in the Premiership so far, whilst also beating Hibs in the League Cup, this term.
The Northern Irish head coach was backed during the recently closed summer transfer window, as the Hoops made eight additions to their first-team squad.
Viljami Sinisalo, Kasper Schmeichel, Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo, Auston Trusty, Alex Valle, and Luke McCowan all came through the door, with three of them arriving on deadline day at the end of last month.
Celtic swooped to sign Engels, Trusty, and McCowan on the final day of the summer transfer window and one of three deals was a club-record transfer for the Hoops.
Celtic smashed their club record
The Scottish giants reportedly agreed an £11m fee with Bundesliga side Augsburg to sign the central midfielder, which makes him the most expensive signing in the club's history.
The previous record was held by Odsonne Edouard, who Celtic paid £9m to sign from Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, although Idah joined in a deal that could be worth up to £9.5m earlier this summer, which would have made him the record-holder if those add-ons had been achieved without the signing of Engels.
At the age of 20, the Hoops have signed the Belgian starlet for his potential to develop and improve over the years to come, rather than the player he is now.
Engels was not a regular starter for Augsburg in the Bundesliga last season, starting 13 of his 32 appearances, and should not be expected to be an instant star for Celtic this term.
It may take time for the Belgium international to find his feet in Scotland and grow into the side, whether that happens in the 2024/25 campaign or next season.
£11m is an expensive gamble by Celtic, though, but they must have a lot of faith that he will develop into a huge asset for the club, just like the player he could replace in the team – Matt O'Riley.
How much Celtic paid for Matt O'Riley
Back in January 2022, former Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign the central midfielder from English League One side MK Dons.
It was reported that the Scottish giants agreed a fee of £1.5m plus add-ons to sign the Danish talent from the third tier outfit ahead of the second half of the campaign.
The young midfield prospect was plying his trade in the third division of football in England, which meant that Celtic were plucking him out of relative obscurity – compared to Engels from the Bundesliga – after his strong start to the 2021/22 campaign with MK Dons.
Appearances
26
Goals
7
Big chances created
7
Assists
5
Key passes per game
2.1
As you can see in the table above, the former Fulham prospect had caught the eye with his contributions as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the English side.
That form convinced Postecoglou and Celtic to spend £1.5m on him at the start of 2022 and that decision turned out to be a stroke of genius.
O'Riley produced four goals and three assists in his first 16 appearances in the Premiership, before going on to plunder three goals and 12 assists in his first full season with the club. This shows that he made an instant impact in Scotland, as he was immediately able to make a difference at the top end of the pitch.
The 23-year-old star, who was described as being in "incredible" condition by teammate Callum McGregor, then exploded with a return of 18 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances in the Scottish top-flight during the 2023/24 campaign under Rodgers.
He provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position for the Hoops and that convinced a Premier League side to swoop in with a mega-money offer.
How much Celtic received for Matt O'Riley
Last month, Brighton & Hove Albion completed a deal to sign the Denmark international from the Premiership champions for a fee of more than £25m.
The midfield sensation was sold for more than Kieran Tierney and Jota to become the most expensive export from Celtic, and Scotland, in history, and more expensive than the £11m signing of Engels.
This shows that the Hoops hit the jackpot when they signed the young gem from MK Dons for just £1.5m as they made a gigantic profit on him in less than three years.
He spent two full seasons at Parkhead and his exceptional performances, which helped the team to win trophies, were enough to convince an English side to spend a huge sum of money to secure his services.
It is the perfect example of Celtic's player trading model, as they snapped up a promising player for a relatively small fee and developed him into a huge asset.
Postecoglou and his scouting team played a blinder by identifying him as a player with potential and Rodgers will be hoping for a similar outcome with Engels.
Of course, the Belgian talent has been signed for a significantly higher fee than O'Riley was but if he can live up to his potential and consistently deliver on the pitch, then that could attract interest from elsewhere and result in the club making another big profit further down the line.
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The former Hoops titan has not played professional football since 2022.
2 ByDan Emery
It is now down to the coaching team and Engels to work hard to ensure that he is a success at Parkhead and is able to make the next step in his career.
