Celtic slap eye-watering £100m price tag on Engels amid Forest interest
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has rebuffed Nottingham Forest's advances for Belgian midfielder Arne Engels, valuing him at a staggering £100 million.
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has made it crystal clear that Belgian midfielder Arne Engels won’t be leaving Glasgow on the cheap, slapping a massive £100 million valuation on the player’s head after rejecting multiple bids from Nottingham Forest.
Forest’s failed deadline day pursuit
Deadline day drama unfolded as Nottingham Forest made not one but two attempts to lure the 21-year-old Belgian international away from Celtic Park:
- An initial bid of £13.5 million (€16m) was swiftly rejected
- Forest returned with an improved offer around £17 million (€20m)
- Both proposals were dismissed as nowhere near Celtic’s valuation
O’Neill’s furious response
The lowball offers clearly touched a nerve with Celtic gaffer Martin O’Neill, who didn’t mince his words when addressing the situation.
“Me gustaría que se rechazara a menos que fuera de 100 millones de libras,” O’Neill fumed, making it abundantly clear that only a figure around £100 million (€116m) would tempt Celtic to part ways with their prized asset.
“I’d rather keep him,” the manager added, highlighting Engels’ importance to the squad since his arrival from Augsburg in 2024 for approximately £11 million (€13m).
Engels’ Celtic impact
Since joining the Bhoys, Engels has proven to be an absolute bargain:
- 89 appearances for the Glasgow giants
- 15 goals from midfield
- An impressive 20 assists
With statistics like that, it’s no wonder O’Neill is determined to hang onto his Belgian maestro. Forest might need to have another butcher’s hook at their transfer strategy if they’re serious about prising Engels away from Celtic Park.