Back to news
transferhigheplscottish premiership

Celtic's O'Neill disappointed to lose Engels but offer 'hard to turn down'; Johnston injured

skysports.com·Open original
What skysports.com reports

Celtic are set to lose midfielder Arne Engels to Premier League side West Ham, with manager Martin O'Neill acknowledging the offer was 'hard to turn down' despite his disappointment. In a separate blow, right-back Alistair Johnston has been ruled out through injury, adding to Celtic's selection concerns. O'Neill indicated the club is actively working on reinforcements and expects additional signings before the transfer window closes. The dual developments leave Celtic weakened in both midfield and defense heading into upcoming fixtures.

Read the full story at skysports.com
Socc360 insight

Losing Engels weakens Celtic's creative midfield axis, particularly for European and domestic cup ties where his passing range has been valuable. Johnston's injury compounds the defensive shortage, likely forcing O'Neill into a reshuffle at right-back and possibly limiting his tactical flexibility. Expecting more signings suggests Celtic recognize a depth crisis and will look to the market for short-term fixes, though the timing leaves them vulnerable in the interim. The cumulative effect is a squad under stress during a congested fixture period.

Context added by Socc360, not by skysports.com.

Data source: skysports.com (via Socc360). Last updated .

Read next

More epl stories

All stories

Never miss a moment.

Live scores, goal alerts and Live Activities on your Lock Screen — get Socc360 for iOS.

Notifications: goals, cards, lineups, kickoff.
Download on the App Store
Celtic's O'Neill disappointed to lose Engels but offer 'hard to turn down'; Johnston injured · Socc360