Celtic Board Turns Down Arne Engels Bid As O'Neill Praises Deadline Day Moves

Celtic resisted strong transfer pressure on deadline day, with Martin O'Neill praising the board for rejecting three Nottingham Forest bids for Arne Engels, the highest reaching 25m, and stressing that

holding on to the Belgium midfielder is vital while the team sits six points behind Hearts in the Scottish Premiership title race.

O'Neill explained that, with a tight title race and a crucial period ahead, selling a key midfielder late in the window would have undermined Celtic's momentum, and the manager believes standing firm also sends a clear message about the club's ambitions for the rest of the season.

Speaking before Wednesday's fixture against Aberdeen, O'Neill underlined how attractive Forest's proposals were in financial terms, telling reporters: "For here, that's an awful lot of money. It's an awful lot of money. Personally, I'm delighted that the board turned it down. It's really tempting and it's come at a very, very late stage, I must admit. So real great credit to them. "

O'Neill also highlighted Engels' attitude throughout the situation, noting there was no disruption around the squad and adding: "He didn't kick up a fuss about it either, even though it's come in late. And of course, it's tempting, it's really big money for here. But they [the board] didn't take the bait, and so naturally, I'm really pleased, and we can look at things in the summer. Obviously, life changes, but that was a major statement. "

New faces at LXT this morning#ABECEL | #CelticFCpic.twitter.com/OHuoMaP5A3Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 3, 2026

While refusing Forest's offers, Celtic were still active on deadline day, completing loan deals for forwards Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka and defender Benjamin Arthur, while also keeping open the option of signing free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who left Besiktas in August after terminating a contract.

Asked whether Oxlade-Chamberlain could strengthen Celtic, O'Neill was clear: "I do. I genuinely do. Yes. He has trained at Arsenal for some time, since his time in Turkiye. I spoke to him, but I'm sure he'll have lots of options, maybe closer to London as well too. But he was very affable, I must admit. "

O'Neill added that the former Arsenal player understands Celtic's stature and already has a personal link in the dressing room, saying: "I would be very interested in doing it, but I'm surprised that people haven't taken him closer to the area, and he's telling me he's been training with Arsenal for quite some considerable time. I think he was very excited about what we were saying. He knows about the football club. He's a big friend of Joe Hart and Joe's spoken to him. Not on our behalf. It was just a conversation with Joe. But listen, it's fine. "

With Engels staying, three loan signings secured, and potential scope for Oxlade-Chamberlain, Celtic enter the Aberdeen match and the rest of the campaign with a deeper squad, financial discipline maintained, and a clear signal that short-term offers will not override the club's competitive priorities.