He's shades of Engels: Why Celtic want to sign £13m star after Hogh
1 week ago
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Published Jul 26, 2026, 8:15 AM GMT+1
Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor, having worked in the football media industry for over a decade.
After voluntarily writing for Fresh Press for two years, helping to build and establish the Read brand, Daniel started a part-time job with Fresh Press that later turned into a full-time writing and editing role, writing for club-specific pages such as Read Norwich, Read Celtic, Read Liverpool, and Read Arsenal.
Daniel spent just shy of a year writing and editing for Liverpool-based website, Anfield Watch, which included conducting and/or transcribing interviews with Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, and journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Since the summer of 2021, Daniel has worked for Snack Media (now Valnet) and has been a contributor to Football FanCast, on a freelance and full-time basis, as a writer and editor.
Daniel is a Norwich City fan and season ticket holder. He has been heard on BBC Norfolk and helped DAZN with research for their commentary due to his knowledge of the club, along with being featured in several local papers across the country, including the Coventry Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo, for Norwich-related content.
Daniel's knowledge extends to Scottish football, having covered Celtic and Rangers for several years. He particularly enjoys producing player analysis and producing transfer content.
Celtic have been hit with a blow this week amid the news that Daizen Maeda will be playing for Ipswich Town in the Premier League next season.
The Japan international have raked in a fee of £10m for the Scottish Premiership champions, as the Hoops opted to cash in on him with one year left on his deal.
Maeda, who scored 14 goals in the league last season, may not be the only star player who moves on from Martin O'Neill's squad before the end of the transfer window.
West Ham United, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Tottenham Hotspur are all eyeing up a move to sign Arne Engels from Parkhead.
Celtic are looking for a fee in the region of £25m for the Belgium international, though, and it remains to be seen whether or not any of those English sides are prepared to pay that much for him.
How Arne Engels became a success at Celtic
Eyebrows were raised when Celtic decided to break their transfer record to sign Engels from Augsburg for a fee of £11m in the summer of 2024, as he had only started 13 of his 32 Bundesliga appearances in the 2023/24 campaign.
The Belgian star has started 47 league games in two seasons with the Hoops, though, as Brendan Rodgers and O'Neill both provided him with the opportunity to play regular minutes in the middle of the park.
He did not play regularly enough at Augsburg in the Bundesliga to showcase the full breadth of his abilities in midfield, which is why he has flourished in Glasgow as a regular starter in the Premiership.
Engels (Premiership)
24/25
25/26
Starts
25
22
Goals
9
5
Big chances created
11
6
Key passes per game
1.7
1.4
Assists
6
3
Ground duel success rate
49%
38%
Aerial duel success rate
49%
50%
A return of 14 goals and 17 'big chances' created in two seasons in the league has attracted interest from a host of Premier League teams, and could see the club bank a £14m profit if any team meets their £25m valuation this summer.
The Scottish giants hit the jackpot on the 22-year-old talent because they were willing to look past his lack of game time in Germany, as they saw the potential that he had, and have provided him with a platform to shine on the pitch.
Celtic ramping up move for their next Arne Engels
Now, the club are said to be looking at a player who could arrive at Parkhead to follow in Engels' footsteps ahead of the 2026/27 campaign getting underway next month.
Amid reports that the Hoops have agreed a £11m plus add-ons deal to sign Kasper Hogh from Bodo/Glimt, they will not stop there in their pursuit of new additions. Indeed, Football Insider reports that Celtic are also interested in a deal to sign Lazio winger Matteo Cancellieri to bolster their forward options in the summer transfer window.
The outlet claims that the Hoops are set to ramp up their pursuit of the left-footed right winger to add more quality to their forward line, now that Maeda is on his way out of Glasgow.
It adds that Lazio currently have a valuation of near £13m (£12.8m) for the 24-year-old attacker, but they are prepared to accept an offer of less than that, yet it remains to be seen exactly how much it would take to sign him.
Celtic target factfile
Stat
Cancellieri
Age
24
Current club
Lazio
Preferred foot
Left
Preferred position
Right wing
National team
Italy
International caps
1
The Italy international could end up being another club-record signing for Celtic if he costs more than the £11m that they spent on Engels, but less than £12.8m, and he would arrive in similar circumstances to the Belgian.
Cancellieri only started 21 out of 38 Serie A matches for Lazio in the 2025/26 campaign, after starting 19 times in the previous season, and was not a nailed-on starter on the right flank.
The left-footed attacker still showed plenty of quality at the top end of the pitch in his limited minutes, though, as he racked up four goals, three 'big chances' created, and two assists in the league.
He has plenty of experience in his young career already, playing 125 times in the Serie A, but he has yet to emerge as a regular starter at any of his postings, which is where Celtic can step in to help him fulfill his potential.
REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
The 24-year-old's form at academy level shows the kind of quality that he has the potential to deliver, as he scored 19 goals in 23 matches for Roma's U17s, and 17 goals in 23 games for Hellas Verona's reserves.
Celtic, therefore, could hit the jackpot in the same way that they did with Engels if they provide Cancellieri with the chance to play week-in-week-out in a dominant team competing for the title in the Premiership, as it could help him to explode as a goalscorer at senior level.
That is why it would be worth splashing out a club-record fee on the Italy international, whether that is close to the £13m that Lazio want, or just under, as he could be a phenomenal addition to the squad.
1 week ago
7
REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
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