Engels aiming to repay Celtic's faith in him after record transfer fee

Celtic midfielder Arne Engels is aiming to repay the faith the club had in him to make him their most expensive ever player following his move from the Bundesliga.

The 21-year-old Belgium international joined the Scottish champions from German side Augsburg on transfer deadline day for a club record fee.

He came off the bench to make his debut two days later in the 3-0 win over Rangers and was blown away by the atmosphere that he says was even better than he expected from the fixture.

After being away on international duty over the last week, he is now keen to show the manager and fans what he can do by helping the club win trophies and compete in the Champions League.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, he said: “It is a really big club, I think it is the biggest club in Scotland. They play every year for the championship and for all the cups, so I think it is an obvious step forward for me.

“With the new format of the Champions League as well, I think it can be a really amazing and special season for us.

“The atmosphere in the game against Rangers was a bit more than I even expected, obviously you hear a lot about that and know it’s a really big game that everyone looks forward to and one that’s going to be really hard.

“But I think the team played amazing and managed to get the 3-0, so it was a perfect day for us and really good to experience.

“I just want to enjoy my football, they obviously paid a big amount for me and I want to repay a lot for the club and play to my best and perform like I always do because that is why they paid it.

“It is just for me to adapt now quickly to the situation and to the team and it is a really amazing team and everyone is speaking to me and teaching me a lot so I think it will be easy to integrate and perform here.

“My aim is to have a lot of good moments with the fans and the team, Celtic are a club who always wants to play for the league championships and the cups, so I want to do well in those.

“It is a really big step for me and I am happy to be here, it is a really big club so it’s nice.

“Playing in the Champions League is also a bonus, of course, especially with the new format and every team playing more games. But that is not the only reason I wanted to come here.

“It is a really big club and a big step forward for me to play for the league and to want to win every game and the pressure to do this is what I always wanted to experience.”