Celtic’s new head coach Wilfried Nancy will have already got plenty of work to do within the coming weeks, having joined the membership halfway by means of the season within the midst of competition for the Scottish Premiership title.
Other than the apparent objectives of advancing to the subsequent stage of the Europa League, profitable the league title and profitable two home cups, the French supervisor additionally must develop his gamers.
One participant in determined want of reinforcement after a disappointing begin to the 2025/26 season is central midfielder Arne Engels, who should present his high quality underneath the brand new supervisor.
Why Nancy must get extra out of Engels for Celtic
Celtic signed the central midfielder from Augsburg for a club-record £11m underneath supervisor Brendan Rodgers in the summertime of 2024, and he loved a robust first season at Parkhead.
In line with Transfermarkt, Engels performed 52 video games in all competitions for the Hoops in his debut season, scoring 10 objectives and offering 13 assists, however this season he has solely scored 2 objectives and supplied 4 assists in 23 video games.
This reveals that the Belgian worldwide wants to enhance his performances underneath Nancy to show he’s well worth the £11 million the membership paid him final 12 months and entice curiosity from different golf equipment for a worthwhile sale sooner or later.
Celtic’s club-record signing has but to extend his worth at Parkhead, however there are former Hoops skills who’re presently valued much more than Engels.
Former Celtic star now price £20m
In the summertime of 2024, Rocco Vata determined to go away on the finish of his contract to signal for Championship aspect Watford, regardless of makes an attempt by the membership and Rodgers to retain him.
The Premiership champions collected a charge of £225,000 for the Eire worldwide who got here by means of the ranks at Parkhead, however now, 18 months after his transfer, he’s price a staggering £20m.
On the finish of November, the Every day Mail reported that Crystal Palace, Fulham, Atalanta and Eintracht Frankfurt had been involved in signing the Irishman, who the Hornets valued at £20 million, forward of the January switch window.
Vata’s journey has shades of Ben Doak. The winger left Celtic to hitch Liverpool in 2022 for £600,000 in compensation and made simply two first-team appearances for the Hoops earlier than being offered to Bournemouth for £25m in 2025.
In line with Transfermarkt, the proficient 20-year-old Vata has six objectives and 6 assists in 47 appearances for Watford, and his spectacular play on the left wing has clearly attracted curiosity from a few of Europe’s largest golf equipment.
Verta was described as having ‘celebrity potential’ by analyst and Watford content material creator Ruohns on X final 12 months, which appears spectacular given the membership’s curiosity in him and his valuation at simply 20 years outdated.
Rocco Vata’s Celtic senior profession | |
|---|---|
Opposition | minutes |
hibernian | 6 |
ross county | 1 |
kilmarnock | twenty two |
motherwell | 11 |
aberdeen | 3 |
Bucky Thistle | 26 |
Statistics through Transfermarkt | |
Nevertheless, as you may see from the desk above, the versatile attacker attracted little consideration throughout his time at Celtic, beginning none of his six first-team appearances for the membership.
It is easy to say in hindsight, however Celtic ought to have supplied him extra alternatives on the pitch at first-team degree to point out the proficient teenager that there’s a path to common soccer at Parkhead.
Maybe the rise of Colby Donovan, who logged 516 minutes this season, is an instance of them studying from their errors with Verta final 12 months and Doak in 2022.
Vata is presently shining in England with Watford, scoring 12 objectives because the begin of final season, and will seal a £20m transfer from the membership in January if any of the aforementioned events are keen to noticeably pursue a deal.
It reveals what worth could be created just by giving a younger participant the possibility to shine, as Watford did with Vata, who’s now valued extra extremely than when he signed Engels in Celtic’s membership document deal.
First huge choice: Nancy now must be daring and win Celtic’s ‘Participant of the Yr’ award
Wilfried Nancy’s appointment has been formally accredited, albeit belatedly, and Celtic are about to enter a brand new period.
Hopefully Donovan’s emergence this season is an indication that Celtic can be taught from the errors of Verta and Doak and proceed to retain their rising expertise sooner or later slightly than shedding them for compensation.
