Celtic can sign their next Engels in move for “elegant” £5m “orchestrator”

Celtic have not made a big splash in the summer transfer window as of yet, with over a month left to go before it slams shut, as they have not spent more than £2m on a single player.

The £2m that they shelled out for versatile midfielder Benjamin Nygren is the most money that they have spent on a single signing so far, which means that there could be bigger deals to come in the next few weeks.

Brendan Rodgers recently made it very clear that the Hoops need to “improve the squad” further if they want to be ambitious and progress as a club.

This means that the Scottish Premiership champions may have to look at higher-profile signings before the end of the window, in an attempt to replicate the success they had with Arne Engels last summer.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Arne Engels

Celtic reportedly smashed their club-record transfer fee to sign the Belgium international from Bundesliga side Augsburg for £11m, which was an ambitious move that paid off on the pitch.

Engels ended his first season at Parkhead with a return of ten goals and 13 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he offered quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

Although you could also put it down to the change in format, the Belgian star also helped Celtic to get past the group/league phase of the Champions League for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign, as they lost to Bayern Munich in the play-off stage.

Engels produced one goal and three assists in ten games in the competition, and Celtic could find a similarly effective midfield star by signing Salvatore Esposito.

Why Celtic should sign Salvatore Esposito

The Hoops have been linked with an interest in the Spezia star, who is valued at around £5m by the Italian side, and he could arrive as their next Engels-esque deal.

Although he would not be as expensive, a fee of £5m would still be more than double what Celtic have paid for any other player this summer, and he would come in as a potentially game-changing signing.

Esposito, who has been hailed as “elegant” and an “orchestrator” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, caught the eye with his brilliant performances in the Serie B for Spezia last term.

His form in the second division in Italy suggests that the potential is there for the 24-year-old star to have a similar impact to Engels at Parkhead.

As you can see in the table above, their respective performances at league level last term even suggest that Esposito could offer more to the team as a creator and in terms of what he can offer out of possession, by creating more high-quality chances and winning more duels with greater efficiency.

Therefore, the Italy international could have a significant impact on the team if he is able to translate these performances over to Scottish football and the Champions League, potentially pushing Celtic on to reach the next level on the European stage, by being a fantastic box-to-box midfield presence.

Celtic have won the Premiership title in each of the last four years, which means that the Champions League is where they should be targeting progress, and Esposito’s form in comparison to Engels suggests that he can help them to push on once more.

Related

Scott Brown repeat: Celtic are long-term admirers of “ridiculous” £5m star

Celtic could repeat their Scott Brown masterclass by signing this reported transfer target.

Therefore, the Hoops should consider pushing the boat out to splash £5m on a new midfield signing to play alongside the likes of Engels and Reo Hatate next season.