Imagine Him & Engels: Celtic Considering Offer To Sign "fabulous" Star - Sportsnewsfoot

Celtic are set to take an astonishing lead of 14 points at the top of the Scottish Premiership table into the new year after their 4-0 win over St Johnstone on Sunday.

The Hoops secured a comprehensive victory at Parkhead at the weekend to ensure that they start 2025 in a sensational position in the division, with Rangers dropping points against Motherwell to help extend the gap.

Kyogo Furuhashi scored twice and Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda both got on the scoresheet, whilst Kasper Schmeichel kept his 15th clean sheet in 18 matches.

The Bhoys have won 16 and drawn two of their 18 games in the league, dropping points away at Dundee United and at home to Aberdeen, so far, and are on course to win a fourth straight title.

Celtic’s immense form in the division, however, does not mean that Brendan Rodgers will not be looking at ways to improve his side in the January transfer window, which officially opens for business on Wednesday.

The Scottish giants will constantly be looking at ways to improve, particularly with the knockout stages of the Champions League potentially to come in 2025, and are reportedly eyeing a new midfielder.

Celtic eyeing English midfielder

According to The Boot Room, Celtic are lining up a swoop to sign Burnley central midfielder Josh Brownhill at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that the 29-year-old star has not accepted the new contract on the table from the English Championship side, with his current deal due to expire next summer.

This means that the former Bristol City dynamo is due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and will be available for pre-contract talks with teams from Scotland and Europe – outside of England – in the January transfer window.

The Boot Room adds that Fiorentina and Lazio have already placed their cards on the table with offers to sign the English gem on a free transfer.

It adds that both Celtic and Rangers are also interested in landing the experienced whiz and are considering their own offers to bring him up to Glasgow, although it remains to be known whether or not he would be interested in moving to Scotland.

West Ham, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, and Brentford are among the English sides said to be keen on Brownhill, but they would not be able to negotiate a pre-contract deal in January and would have to wait until the summer, unless they looked to reach an agreement with Burnley for a permanent transfer in January.

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This shows that there is plenty of competition for the Burnley captain’s signature and that it will not be an easy move for Celtic to get over the line, particularly with offers already coming in from the Serie A.

His form for the Clarets in the Championship this season, however, suggests that he is a player worth fighting for, as the English ace could be an excellent addition to Rodgers’ squad and the perfect midfield partner for Arne Engels.

Arne Engels’ form this season

The Celtic board sanctioned a club-record deal of £11m to sign the Belgium international from German side Augsburg in the summer transfer window, after Matt O’Riley was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Engels arrived as a young player who needed time to develop and grow before hitting his stride at Parkhead, but has still been expected to deliver on the pitch given the money that was spent on him.

The Belgian starlet has produced five goals and eight assists in 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops to date, including one goal and three assists in six Champions League matches.

As you can see in the table above, Engels has been incredibly unfortunate with the quality of finishing from his teammates in the Premiership so far this term.

They have only rewarded him with one assist from the four ‘big chances’ and 21 key passes that he has produced for them, which suggests that too many players have been wasteful with their efforts in the final third.

This is why Brownhill could come in as a perfect signing for Engels in the middle of the park, as the pair could combine to lethal effect at the top end of the pitch.

Why Celtic should sign Josh Brownhill

Celtic could land a bargain by securing a deal to bring the English maestro to Parkhead on a free transfer at the end of the season, or in a cut-price deal in January, because his form in the Championship has been outstanding.

In the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Brownhill produced four goals and two assists in 23 starts as his side were relegated from the top-flight.

That came after the former Bristol City star had racked up seven goals and eight assists in 41 appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, in which Vincent Kompany’s team won the Championship title.

Burnley dropped back to the second tier in England this season and his form has, once again, caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Brownhill has been incredibly efficient in front of goal from a midfield position, with nine goals from just 4.69 xG in the Championship.

The £45k-per-week ace, who was hailed as “fabulous” by pundit Lee Hendrie, has the quality to make the most of the chances that his teammates create for him, with 13 goals from 6.63 xG since the start of last season.

This suggests that the Celtic target would be the perfect signing for Engels, as the Belgian whiz would have another player capable of taking advantage of the ‘big chances’ that he is able to create in the Premiership, making them a lethal pairing.

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