Arne Engels has vowed to repay every penny of the £11m transfer fee it took to bring him to Celtic, saying that his status as the club’s record signing is a motivation to him rather than an added pressure.
It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the young Belgian following his move from Augsburg, making his Celtic debut in the win over Rangers, gaining his first cap for his country and celebrating his 21st birthday back home before arriving back in Glasgow and taking part in just his second training session at Lennoxtown yesterday.
He cut a relaxed figure though as he addressed the media, and gave an emphatic answer when asked how his huge transfer fee might affect him going forward.
“Motivation, pure motivation,” Engels said.
“I’m a relaxed guy and I just want to enjoy football, and that’s what I’ve been doing really well, otherwise they would not pay that sort of fee.
“I think I’m on the right path and making the right steps, and this is the right one for me.
“It’s nice to see this [faith the club and manager have in me] and to experience it, and I also believe in myself, because I think that’s even more important than other people believing in me.
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“But yeah, it’s a really nice feeling that you see they did everything to get you.”
Engels knows he will be viewed as a direct replacement for Matt O’Riley following his move to Brighton, but the midfielder isn’t concerning himself with living up to the standard set by the Denmark internationalist.
“I just want to be myself and make a name for myself, that is what I will do and what I am good at,” he said.
“I want to show everybody what I can do, and not think about what somebody else is doing or did here.
“It’s just for me now to show it to everybody.”
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