Arne Engels spoke to the media at Lennoxtown this afternoon ahead of the Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park on Wednesday evening against Dundee United…
Angels has attracted interest in Italy from Europa League holders Atalanta who Celtic held to a goalless draw in Bergamo back in October. Now an Italian media outlet gives some insight into Atalanta’s interest in Celtic’s record signing, although no approach is imminent. It’s interesting that they value Engels at around £18m so Celtic’s initial £11m investment seems to be good business as is mostly the case these days.
Google translate reckons that this is the English translation from the Italian outlet.
Atalanta is always looking for new and young talents. After what we have told you in recent days, including Cherki, we can add a profile that the Lombard club is following and that it has recently faced in the Champions League. We are talking about Arne Engels, Belgian midfielder born in 2003 for Celtic, bought last summer by the Scots for around 11 million. Already an important valuation and which has now grown by at least 7-8 million: Atalanta appreciates him and will continue to follow him, for the moment nothing more.
Here’s everything that was said at Arne Engels media conference…
Continues on the next page…
Q: How have you found it, the game’s come thick and fast here in Scotland over Christmas and New Year, how’s it been?
Arne Engels: “It’s been good, it’s been really fast, like you said, every three days we have a game, so it’s coming really fast, but that’s the way we like it actually, so that we don’t need to think about our previous game and just go on. I think we are in a really good way, in a good situation now, so it’s all nice that the games are coming quickly.”
Q: Does that help when you have a rare disappointment, like theRangers game, that you’ve had the chance to bounce back quickly?
Arne Engels: “100 per cent, we knew that we needed to focus on the next game and that’s what we did, and you see in the game, the last game, that we can perform, that we always can bounce back and that’s what we did.”
Q: How have you found the reaction to theRangers defeat and the way things can be here in Glasgow, where the reaction is very extreme, whether it’s good or bad?
Arne Engels: “I think it’s normal, when you lose a game, it’s always not nice to hear from the fans, and they need to be disappointed and we are also really disappointed in ourselves. We know that we could have done better and we analysed the game really well, and you see in the next game that we do the things right and you see directly that we can score a lot of goals.”
Q: The manager was calling on the fans to trust the team, trust him, maybe be a bit more patient in games like the St Mirren game. What’s that like for you as a player? Do you sense it from the crowd?
Arne Engels: “I only sense positive feelings. We are doing our job, we know what we are doing inside the game, we know that we also sometimes need to slow down the game to then go on really quickly and create a lot of chances. We know that we will create a lot and we trust ourselves and that we can score and that our scoring abilities are really good.
Q: What have you made of your own form over the last month or two?
Arne Engels: “I think I’m in good form. I’m performing well, I think. You can always do better. Like every sportsman, you always want to do better in every game, even if you score or give an assist. You always have some points that you want to see improved, but I think in general I’m doing fine.”
Q: As you say, you’re performing well, you’re getting goals and assists, but in some of the bigger games the manager has decided to start you on the bench. How has that been for you since you’ve moved to the club?
Arne Engels: “I think it’s sometimes normal. I think it’s up to me to show in training that I’m ready for the big games. I think I did that. Like every player in the team, everybody wants to be in that team when the big games arrive. But everybody does really great, so then it’s just waiting for the opportunity and then take it. I think that’s what I did and I hopefully will do it also in the next games.
Q: When you see your name on the substitutes’ bench for those big games, the Cup final or the game at Ibrox, does it then spur you on to say, when these big games come around in a month’s time, Champions League or other big cup games, I want to be in the starting eleven? Is that what drives you on?
Arne Engels: “Yeah, 100%. It needs to drive you on. Like I said, it’s up to me to show in training and show in the games that I get, the minutes that I get, that I’m deserving to be in the starting eleven. But everybody will do that and everybody will show that in training, so that’s a really nice competition that we have here. Then it’s just the manager that decides, so we’ll see.
Q: In terms of the level, the expectation, has it been what you thought it would be at a club like Celtic? From the fans’ expectation, the expectation of the manager, just the general expectation on you?
Arne Engels: “Like in the beginning everybody was telling, do you feel the pressure or something like that, but I don’t really feel it. I just want to play, want to enjoy my football and that’s why I’m here, why everybody’s here, I think. Everybody wants to improve every day and that’s what we are doing here in the training ground. So it’s always nice to see the things that you are working on, that you see them improving in the games. So those are all positive feelings that I have now.
