West Ham's Record Signing Arne Engels: Nuno Wants More Firepower

West Ham United have smashed the Championship transfer record to land Celtic midfielder Arne Engels for £22m – and Nuno Espirito Santo’s immediate response is simple: he still wants more.

Engels becomes the club’s fourth signing since relegation from the Premier League, a statement arrival for a side trying to muscle its way straight back up. The 20-year-old, who delivered 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances for Celtic, is viewed as a creative pillar for Nuno’s rebuild rather than the final piece of it.

His signing follows a busy summer at Rush Green. Brighton defender Joel Veltman has come through the door, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Manor Solomon has joined, and Keiber Lamadrid’s loan from Deportivo La Guaira has been made permanent after his January stint. The spine is being rebuilt, line by line.

Yet Nuno’s verdict after a 2-2 opening-day draw at Burnley, where West Ham let a 2-0 lead slip, was blunt.

“We need players, especially in the offensive part of the team,” he said, having watched his side fade when it mattered. The frustration of surrendering control hung over his assessment. “We have young lads, we have options of double full-back, like we did in the last game and in this game, but we need more bodies in the offensive part of the team.”

The message is clear: the record fee does not close the chequebook. Not while West Ham still look short of cutting edge.

Nuno, though, did not hide his enthusiasm for Engels and what he can bring to a midfield that has been stretched.

“He’s a very good player. I think he’ll help us a lot in the middle of the park, where we have two young players,” the West Ham boss said, pointing to the balance he is trying to strike between youth and experience.

There is also the looming return of Tomas Soucek, a player Nuno sees as central to the new structure.

“We have Tomas too. When he returns, I think we’ll have more options and be stronger in the middle of the park.”

Behind the scenes, the recruitment drive is still in full swing. Nuno made it clear that the push for attacking reinforcements is not a vague wish but an active operation.

“There’s a lot of activity. The club knows the targets and the needs of the team. We’re working very hard and trying to get the bodies in as soon as possible.”

A record signing in midfield, a manager demanding more goals, and a squad still taking shape. West Ham’s season will not be defined by one comeback at Burnley, but by how quickly those “bodies” arrive – and how ruthless they can make this team when the next 2-0 lead comes around.