Chris Sutton Slams Celtic Timing on Arne Engels Transfer

Chris Sutton has torn into Celtic over the timing of Arne Engels’ £22million move to West Ham, branding it “unthinkable” to weaken the team on the eve of a crucial Champions League play-off.

Engels, 22, has been a breakout star at Parkhead and is now on the brink of a record-breaking switch to the London Stadium, with only the final paperwork left after a Championship-record fee was agreed.

Seven goals. Eight assists. Forty-six games across all competitions last season. No wonder Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have pushed hard to get him through the door before their league campaign starts on Sunday.

Sutton, though, cannot get his head around Celtic’s decision to cash in now.

“Unthinkable” call before Champions League play-off

The former Hoops striker accepts why West Ham are in a rush. He does not accept why Celtic are.

Their Champions League play-off against LASK looms large, a tie that will go a long way to defining their season both financially and in terms of prestige. Selling one of their standout performers before that showdown has left Sutton incredulous.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “There's so much on the line, it's unthinkable to go in to this match in a weaker position – but that's what is going to happen with Engels gone.

“I get that it's big money and I understand why West Ham want him now, with the Championship kicking off this weekend.

“But that's not Celtic's problem. They had to look after themselves.”

It is as much a warning as it is a rant. Sutton’s anger underlines just how highly he rates Engels – and how big a coup this is for the East London club.

When Engels could make his West Ham debut

West Ham are now racing the clock.

If they can register Engels before noon on 15 August, he will be available to make his debut against Burnley. Miss that cut-off, and attention turns to the Charlton clash on 22 August, or the EFL Cup tie with Southampton on 25 August.

Engels will not be short of sharpness. He has already completed a full pre-season with Celtic and featured in two Scottish Premiership matches, so he arrives match-fit and ready to slot straight into Nuno’s plans.

That is exactly why Sutton is so incensed. From a Celtic perspective, they are losing a fully firing, influential midfielder just when the stakes are at their highest.

Celtic’s gamble, West Ham’s pull

For those inside G40, the frustration is obvious. Qualifying for the Champions League is the club’s primary objective this season, on sporting and financial grounds. To head into a play-off minus one of their key performers feels, to many, like an avoidable risk.

There is another side to it. Engels’ willingness to drop into the Championship speaks volumes about West Ham’s pull. Relegation has not dulled their ability to attract serious talent, and a £22million outlay on a 22-year-old Belgian who has lit up Parkhead sends a clear message about their promotion ambitions.

Celtic bank a major fee. West Ham secure a player built to drive a campaign from midfield. Only the Champions League play-off will reveal whether the timing of this deal ends up haunting the Scottish champions.