Celtic’s Arne Engels Faces Disrespectful Questions from Mainstream Media

Celtic’s record-breaking signing, Arne Engels, arrived for £11 million from the Bundesliga to the Scottish Premiership, and while fans celebrated the move, the mainstream media took a familiar, lazy angle. During his first press conference, one journalist’s questions showed why traditional media often fails to serve the Celtic fans.

The journalist, speaking to Arne, started with the following line of questioning :
“In terms of the difference between the Bundesliga and the Scottish Premiership, I know, what do you think there will be? Because some people might be surprised you make a move from one of the biggest leagues in the world to here in Scotland. What do you think the differences are? Do you think it will suit your Game?” [Celtic YT]

This reeks of the condescending attitude we’ve come to expect. The underlying assumption here is that the SPFL is somehow beneath a player’s ambition compared to the Bundesliga. Sure, the Bundesliga is a top European league, but Celtic are massive, known for developing players and playing in front of one of the most passionate faNBAses in world Football. Why should anyone question the decision of a player wanting to further their career at Paradise?

But that wasn’t the end of the nonsense. The same journalist then fired off this follow-up:
“One player that left in some way was Matt O’Riley. He came in a couple of years ago, was such a success at the club, and then left for big money for another big club down south in the Premier League. Not saying that that’s what you want to do, but is that the kind of path you’d like to emulate? Come in, hit the ground running, score lots of goals, win lots of trophies, and then you don’t know what the future holds in a few years’ time?”

It’s almost laughable how quickly the conversation moved from doubting Arne’s decision to sign for Celtic to assuming he’s already planning his escape. The constant insinuation that players can only view Celtic as a stepping stone completely ignores the fact that many talented players come to Glasgow and thrive, becoming key figures in our success before making the next move.

This line of questioning comes days after we found out that some journalists behind the scenes were branding Callum McGregor pathetic for staying at Celtic and not moving to the EPL when he had the chance. These are the guys that are paid to cover our Game professionally.

The media’s focus on how long Engels might stay rather than what he can achieve at Celtic shows a disconnect between journalists and what the fans want to hear. When fan media outlets like CeltsAreHere ask questions, we focus on what truly matters: what the player hopes to accomplish at Celtic, how they can impact the team, and how they will connect with the supporters.

We’re not here to generate negative headlines questioning why anyone would join Celtic or pushing for the next departure. We understand the culture of the club and know exactly what signing for Celtic means to players like Arne Engels. Yes, we will be critical when necessary, but our motivation is always to serve the supporters.

We’re not naive to the point that Arne will not be Celtic’s final destination, but at the very beginning of his Celtic journey we want to enjoy what he can bring to the team and focus on how he can help push Celtic forward while he develops.

As Arne settles in, the fans can look forward to seeing him contribute to the squad’s success without having to worry about the ridiculous narrative that some members of the press love to push.

The bhoys have a big month ahead, and given Celtic’s outlay for Arne, he will be in the thick of things sooner rather than later under Brendan Rodgers.