Nuno Sets Record Signing Bar with Arne Engels at West Ham
Nuno Espirito Santo has made it clear: Arne Engels has not arrived at West Ham to be a Championship luxury. He has been signed to drag the club back to the Premier League – and stay there.
The 22-year-old Belgian, a £22m record signing from Celtic, is expected to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday, and Nuno is already talking about him as a long-term pillar rather than a short-term boost.
"He's a fantastic player," Nuno told BBC Radio London. "We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us."
Those numbers from Scotland help explain the excitement. Engels produced 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 games during two seasons at Celtic, operating with the kind of versatility that managers crave. For Nuno, that variety in midfield is central to the rebuild.
"He's a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area," he 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."
This is not a signing made with an eye only on Saturday at Charlton or the grind of the current campaign. Nuno was blunt about the scale of the club’s ambition.
"All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also."
Attack reshaped with Mukasa and Piroe
The midfield has its new conductor, but Nuno has not stopped there. He has turned back to a familiar face to sharpen his forward line.
England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa has returned to West Ham on loan from Manchester City for the season, a move that adds youthful pace and penalty-box instinct to the squad. Dutch forward Joel Piroe has also arrived on loan from Leeds, giving Nuno another proven finisher to rotate through the front line.
The pattern is obvious: different threats, different weapons, one clear idea.
"We should have different profiles in different positions. It's about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions," Nuno said.
"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 as the long-term bet in midfield, Mukasa and Piroe as fresh firepower up front, and a manager unflinching about the target. West Ham are still in the Championship, but every move Nuno makes is being measured against one question: will this team be ready when the Premier League door opens again?
