Chris Sutton Criticizes Celtic for Selling Arne Engels Before Champions League Play-off

Chris Sutton has torn into Celtic’s decision to cash in on Arne Engels now, branding the timing “unthinkable” as the midfielder closes in on a £22million move to West Ham.

The 22-year-old has been a standout at Parkhead, a genuine find who has grown into one of the team’s driving forces. Seven goals and eight assists in 46 appearances last season tell part of the story. The rest has been his energy, his timing, his knack for turning tight games Celtic’s way.

So it is no surprise Nuno Espirito Santo wants him in East London. The fee is a record-breaking sum for a Championship club, the paperwork is being pushed through, and Engels is expected to be unveiled at the London Stadium in the coming days.

It is the moment of the deal that has Sutton raging.

Sutton slams Celtic timing

The former Celtic striker accepts exactly why West Ham are moving fast. Their Championship campaign starts on Sunday, and Nuno wants his new signing in the building and on the pitch as soon as possible.

But Sutton cannot get his head around Celtic agreeing to sell before their Champions League play-off against LASK.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he did not hold back: “There's so much on the line, it's unthinkable to go in to this match in a weaker position – but that's what is going to happen with Engels gone.

“I get that it's big money and I understand why West Ham want him now, with the Championship kicking off this weekend.

“But that's not Celtic's problem. They had to look after themselves.”

That is as strong an endorsement as Engels could ask for. Sutton’s fury comes from the same place as his admiration: he sees how much Celtic will miss him.

For the Glasgow club, the Champions League play-off is the defining hurdle of their season. Reach the group stage and the financial and sporting rewards shape everything that follows. Go into that tie knowingly weakened and, in Sutton’s eyes, you invite trouble.

What West Ham are getting – and when

From West Ham’s side, the move makes perfect sense. Engels arrives match-sharp. He has completed a full pre-season with Celtic and already has two Scottish Premiership games under his belt, so there will be no need for a gentle bedding-in period.

If the Hammers can get him registered before noon on 15 August, he will be eligible to make his debut against Burnley. Miss that cut-off, and attention turns to the Charlton fixture on 22 August, or the EFL Cup tie with Southampton on 25 August, as likely first outings.

Whenever the paperwork lands, Engels is expected to slot straight into Nuno’s plans. His numbers last season suggest he can add goals and creativity from midfield, exactly the sort of influence that can tilt tight Championship matches in West Ham’s favour as they chase promotion.

Celtic’s frustration, West Ham’s pull

From Celtic’s perspective, the irritation is obvious. They are losing a key player, one who could have made the difference in a season-defining European tie, at the precise moment they need every advantage they can muster.

For Sutton and many supporters, it feels like a gamble taken at the wrong time, even if the money is too good to ignore.

For West Ham, it underlines something else entirely. Even after relegation, they can still tempt one of Celtic’s brightest performers away from a club on the brink of the Champions League. That is the scale of their pull, and the size of their ambition.

Engels now steps into that story. The question is simple: will his next decisive performance come in a promotion race in East London rather than under the Champions League lights with Celtic?