Nuno Espirito Santo Backs £22m Signing Arne Engels for West Ham

Nuno Espirito Santo is clear about why West Ham broke their Championship transfer record for Arne Engels. This is not a signing for a season in the second tier. It is a bet on a return to the Premier League – and on a 22-year-old Belgian running games when they get there.

Engels is poised to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday after arriving from Celtic in a £22m move, and Nuno is already talking about him as a pillar of the club’s long-term plan.

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

The numbers from Scotland explain the excitement. Across two years at Celtic, Engels scored 17 goals and laid on 22 assists in 100 appearances, operating with a mix of craft and graft that has convinced West Ham he can anchor their rebuild.

Nuno is not dressing it up as a short-term fix.

“He’s a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area,” the West Ham boss said. “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 consistent: this is about where West Ham want to be, not where they are now.

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

Engels is not the only attacking reinforcement. Nuno has turned again to the club’s own production line, bringing England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa back to West Ham on loan from Manchester City for the season. Dutch forward Joel Piroe has also arrived on loan from Leeds, another move aimed at sharpening the cutting edge.

The pattern is obvious: different weapons, same target.

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

Engels, Mukasa, Piroe: three distinct pieces. Nuno’s gamble is that together they form the spine of a side capable of dragging West Ham back to the top flight – and staying there.