West Ham Signs Arne Engels for Premier League Ambitions

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo insists club-record Championship signing Arne Engels has been brought in with one destination in mind: the Premier League.

The 22-year-old Belgian is poised to make his Hammers debut against Charlton on Saturday after completing a £22m move from Celtic, where he carved out a reputation as one of the most productive midfielders in Scotland.

Across two seasons in Glasgow, Engels scored 17 goals and supplied 22 assists in 100 appearances. Those numbers caught West Ham’s eye, but Nuno is adamant this is not a short-term gamble to chase promotion. It is part of a bigger plan.

“He’s a fantastic player,” Nuno told BBC Radio London. “We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us.

“He’s a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area.

“He’s someone we truly believe who is going to come in, step in and help us. He’s a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he’s a hard worker.”

The message is clear: Engels is expected to drive West Ham now and grow into a Premier League force later.

Nuno spelled out that long-range vision in blunt terms.

“All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also.”

Attack reshaped with Mukasa and Piroe

Engels is the headline arrival, but Nuno has not stopped there.

To sharpen the attack, West Ham have brought back England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa on loan from Manchester City for the season. The highly rated forward returns to familiar surroundings with a clear route to minutes in a promotion push.

Dutch striker Joel Piroe has also joined on loan from Leeds, adding proven Championship firepower to the front line. Different ages, different backgrounds, same purpose: to give Nuno options and goals.

“We should have different profiles in different positions. It’s about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions,” said the West Ham boss.

“It’s not about numbers, it’s about profiles and in the end, what we want to achieve is to have a very balanced squad.”

A record signing in Engels, the return of Mukasa, the arrival of Piroe – Nuno’s rebuild is taking shape. The question now is whether this new-look West Ham can turn that careful planning into a charge back to the top flight.