THE extraordinary emergence of Arne Engels has eclipsed the disappointment of the Celtic fans over the removal of favourite Matt O’Riley.
Former Hoops striking great Chris Sutton reckons no-one at a rocking Parkhead during the 5-1 Champions League thrashing of Slovan Bratislava gave a thought to the classy playmaker who left for a record near-£30million to Brighton just before the transfer deadline.
In came Engels for an all-time club high splash of £11million from Bundesliga club Augsburg and the 21-year-old Belgian international has had a startling introduction to life in Scotland.
The stylish middle-of-the-park operator took the eye again against the Slovaks with his calm control alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate against the Slovaks.
SLIDE SHOW…Arne Engels celebrates a Celtic goal.
And, for the second successive game, he accepted the responsibility of taking a crucial penalty-kick and, like his sweeping effort against Hearts a week ago, he made an impeccable job with another low drive into the keeper’s left-hand corner.
Reflecting on the impressive show in the opening game in the new-look set-up in Europe’s most prestigious competition, Sutton said: “It is a measure of how far they have come in the last few months.
“Even if you go back a few weeks, the loss of Matt O’Riley looked like a huge blow.
“Yet I’d bet no-one was even thinking about him the other night. The performance of Arne Engels helped fans get excited about who was there rather than who wasn’t.
SEEING DOUBLE…Arne Engels fires a penalty-kick past Hearts keeper Craig Gordon and (below) he performs an action replay as he tucks away a spot-kick against Slovan Bratislva’s Dominik Takac.
“The Belgian’s display just proved Brendan Rodgers was right to push the boat out to get him. In fact, any scouts or spies in the stands or tuning in would have looked at Engels and felt £11million was a bargain.
“It is in European terms. The likes of Brentford spent £30million on Igor Thiago, Ipswich Town spent double the cost of Engels on Omari Hutchinson.
“Celtic spent a lot in comparison to Bratislava – but it’s still chicken feed compared to the likes of Borussia Dortmund.”
Sutton, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “It’s obvious Engels is a player, though. He’s got ability on the ball and he’s got tremendous physicality.
“He’s barely in the door and looks like he’s been in with the bricks for ages. For the first time in donkeys, Celtic even look a threat from corner-kicks with him on deadballs.
“It’s early days and he’s still got to be developed, but he already looks like he’s the perfect fit for Celtic’s model of buying prospects and getting the best out of them before big-money offers come calling.
NET GAIN…Arne Engels accepts the congratulations of his team-mates after netting Celtic’s third goal in the 5-1 win over the Slovaks.
“Let’s not wish him away just yet, though. Engels is a young guy and while he’s shown he’s got terrific temperament with those penalties, there will be a time when his form dips a touch.
“That’s where the squad comes in – and we’ll probably see it this weekend. I’d expect Rodgers to rotate against Falkirk tomorrow.
“He can’t underestimate a side that is in great form in the Championship and who have already put Hearts out of the Premier Sports Cup.
“But you’d think this is a chance for Auston Trusty to get minutes, along with Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo and Alex Valle.”
FIVE-STAR SHOW…Auston Trusty and Paulo Bernardo congratulate Adam Idah after the striker had claimed No.5 against Slovan Bratislava.
The one-time England international forward added: “It’s already talking about strength in depth, but what that means is the momentum doesn’t drop when the names on the team sheet change.
“Celtic’s squad will be tested in the coming weeks. They had the A team out the other night, but there will be times when someone is injured or suspended and Rodgers will need to shuffle his pack.
“The players coming in need to prove they are more than capable of slotting in and doing a similar job.
“Celtic ripped up the usual Champions League script the other night – but they need to stick to it on the home front, even if the main characters change.”