ARNE Engels has squeezed in rather a lot in the four months since he moved to Celtic in a club record £11m transfer on the final day of the summer transfer window back in August.
The Belgian internationalist has helped the Scottish champions to build up a commanding lead in the William Hill Premiership - and he will be trying to help them restore their 11 point advantage with a win over Dundee United at Tannadice this afternoon.
He has also been heavily involved in Europe as Brendan Rodgers’ men have moved to within touching distance of the knockout round play-offs in the Champions League.
And last Sunday at Hampden he came off the bench in the Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers and lifted his first trophy as a professional. The midfielder set up winger Nicolas Kuhn for his side’s third goal in regulation time and then stepped forward and netted a penalty in a dramatic shootout.
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So far so good? The 21-year-old has certainly thoroughly enjoyed his time in this country and is looking forward to the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. However, he believes that he can improve on his performances to date and stressed that he is determined to make more of an impact in the months ahead.
“I’ve loved my time here,” he said. “It’s been a really nice experience so far. I’ve settled in and everyone at the club has really helped me. It’s been really smooth, actually. I can only say positive things up to now and I can’t wait to carry that on.
“I appreciate the support he (Rodgers) has given me, but everyone at the club has been like that. If it’s not the manager, it’s somebody else. They want me to enjoy my time here and improve my abilities. It’s great to have people like that within the club.
“It’s always tough for a young player coming into a new country but I was used to it in Germany (Engels joined Bundesliga outfit Augsburg from Brugge in January last year when he was just 19) so I knew what was coming on to me.
“But it’s even better here and it’s going even smoother than I thought it would. It’s different to being at home or somewhere else, but that’s normal.”
But he has redoubled his efforts in training at Lennoxtown and remains keen to show supporters why it required an eight figure sum to secure his services.
“I just try to work hard and improve myself every day,” he said. “I want to show them my ability and I feel like I’m in a good way with that right now. I still need to improve, 100 per cent. I know this, I’m the first to admit it. But I’m on a good road and so is the team. It can only get better.
“I hope there is still so much more to come from me here in the future. It’s up to myself and the team to perform. On a personal level, I want to enjoy my time here and improve as a player. And hopefully to win.”
Engels has quickly grasped that nothing less than outright victory will suffice at Celtic and is pleased that he has that pressure on him to perform every time that he takes to the park as he feels it is making him a superior footballer to the one he was before.
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“Celtic is the biggest club in Scotland so it’s all about winning trophies,” he said. “Hopefully we can achieve that together, it would be really nice.
“The winning mentality here is different to what I’ve experienced before. Kasper [goalkeeper Schmeichel] has said if you win here, it’s a normal feeling. But if you draw or lose, it’s a disaster. That’s so true. Everyone has that mindset.
“We drew 2-2 with Aberdeen and afterwards, it was like we’d lost everything in the dressing room. I really like that mentality within the group. We only accept wins. That’s why we’re in such a good way.”
It is, as the old football saying goes, important to celebrate the victories and Engels and a group of his Celtic team mates certainly did that following their dramatic triumph over Rangers last weekend.
The four-times capped player, though, is now fully focused on the Premiership, Champions League and Scottish Cup games which are coming up and is keen to play his part in another memorable season.
“I had a great time at the darts with the boys,” he said. “It was a bit of a team building trip and we enjoyed it. Unfortunately, none of the Belgian players were playing that night.
“It’s been a really nice week. Everyone really enjoyed winning the cup. It was a tight game, but we deserved the win so we’re really happy. And now we can’t wait for our next game on Sunday.
“It’s always nice to get a trophy, especially when it’s the first one of your career. It’s just important that we got it. We can now look forward to the next game and getting back to winning more.”
