West Ham have made Arne Engels the most expensive signing in the history of the Championship after completing a £22m deal for the Celtic midfielder.
The Belgian international has agreed a five-year contract with the Hammers, who are preparing for their first season in the second division since 2012 after relegation from the second division. Premier League in May.
This fee exceeds the previous Championship record of £17.5 million, which Ipswich Town paid for Norwegian international Sinder Walle Egeli last summer.
However, Ingles will not be able to make his debut for West Ham immediately, meaning he will miss the opening day trip to Burnley on Sunday.
His first opportunity is likely to come against Charlton Athletic at the London Stadium on August 22.
The 22-year-old arrives after two seasons at Celtic, where he helped the club win back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles.
Engels made 100 appearances for the Glasgow giants, scoring 17 goals and providing 22 assists, after joining from Augsburg in August 2024. He previously came through the academy at Club Brugge.
Ingels wraps up a busy summer in east London
Hazard became West Ham’s fourth signing this summer, after Venezuelan midfielder Keber Lamadrid, Dutch defender Joel Veltman, and Israeli winger Manor Solomon.
Nils Kubin, West Ham’s director of player recruitment, believes Ingels fits the profile the club is looking for as they attempt to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
“Arne is someone we have followed for some time and identified as a main target,” Koben told the club’s website.
“Despite his age, he already has a lot of experience and has shown that he can perform consistently at a big club.
He added: “He has the qualities, both on the pitch and as a person, that we want as we build for the future.”
Engels has four caps for Belgium and is relishing the challenge of helping West Ham escape from the tournament.
“It’s a really exciting project to be a part of,” he said.
“The main goal is to get back to the Premier League. That’s what everyone wants.
“Now it’s up to me to help the team achieve that, and I hope we can have a really good season with the fans.”
