Not many thought that Arne Engels would be making the headlines on transfer deadline day for Celtic.
It kicked off with Nottingham Forest expressing interest in Engels, and now it has seemingly seen the Premier League club putting in several bids for the midfielder.
The latest is that Celtic have rejected £25 million for Engels, after he was signed by the Hoops from Augsburg in 2023 for a club-record transfer.
After hearing the news about the 22-year-old, Charlie Mulgrew was pretty clear about what he would be doing if he were sitting in the Celtic boardroom right now.
Can Celtic afford to sell Arne Engels?
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Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty ImagesCharlie Mulgrew tells Celtic to sell Arne Engels to Nottingham Forest
Engels has divided opinion during his time in Glasgow, and it’s fair to say that the £11 million price tag over his head hasn’t helped matters.
That’s why Mulgrew didn’t hesitate to state that he would ‘take the money’ and sell the Belgium star to Nottingham Forest, as he told Go Radio.
“I would take the money considering he has come in for £11 million, and he hasn’t exactly been outstanding,” said Mulgrew.
“I don’t know how much you eventually think you might get for him. I understand that he is one of the three midfielders that Martin O’Neill wants to play in the team.
“He’s a starter. Plays ahead of Hatate. I just think, for that money, I don’t think he offers enough. I don’t think his goals tally. I would be saying the same thing about Nygren, only he is scoring goals. He brings that to the table.
“Engels isn’t bringing that to the table. He has a top-class delivery of the ball. I think he can be a good player.
“I just think, for this title fight, I thought at Tynecastle, at that stage of my mind, I thought he got bullied a lot in that game.
“For a player of that so-called quality, and with that price tag. You are expecting a lot more from him in those big games. If I were Celtic, I would be taking the money.”
Celtic told to sign Josh Mulligan from Hibernian as Engels’ replacement
If Celtic sell Engels, who comes in, and can they do a deal with hours left before the deadline?
Mulgrew put forward the name of Hibernian star Josh Mulligan and how he would be ‘delighted’ if the champions of Scotland secured his services.
The former Celtic centre-back compared Mulligan to Aston Villa captain John McGinn, who famously or infamously could have moved to Parkhead many moons ago now.
“I would go and get Mulligan from Hibs,” added Mulgrew. “I think he’s a good player.
“He reminds me a wee bit of John McGinn. Not brilliant technically. Good technically. But not amazing technically.
“But he has that fight, and he is very effective. Although he is injured just now. I would go and get him. You would get him for a decent price.
“I would be very surprised (if it happens), but I would be delighted.”
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