Nuno Sets Premier League Record Signing Engels at West Ham

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has made it clear: £22m signing Arne Engels has not arrived in east London to be a Championship luxury. He has been brought in to drag the club back to the Premier League – and stay there.

The 22-year-old Belgian, signed from Celtic in a club-record deal for a Championship player, is expected to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday. It will be the first look Hammers fans get at a midfielder Nuno believes can shape the club’s next era.

“He's a fantastic player,” Nuno told BBC Radio London. “We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us.”

Engels leaves Celtic with serious numbers on his CV: 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances across two seasons. Those figures, and his all-round game, convinced West Ham to invest heavily now for a payoff they expect to come in the top flight.

“He's a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area,” Nuno said. “He's someone we truly believe is going to come in, step in and help us. He's a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he's a hard worker.”

The message is consistent. This is not a short-term fix. It is a piece of a bigger plan.

“All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further,” Nuno added. “So if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also.”

Engels is not the only attacking reinforcement. Nuno has moved aggressively to reshape his forward line.

England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa has returned to West Ham on loan from Manchester City for the season, bolstering the club’s options through the middle. Dutch forward Joel Piroe has also arrived on loan from Leeds, adding proven Championship firepower to the mix.

The pattern is obvious: different threats, same objective.

“We should have different profiles in different positions. It's about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions,” said Nuno. “It's not about numbers, it's about profiles and in the end, what we want to achieve is to have a very balanced squad.”

Engels, Mukasa, Piroe. Three new pieces, one clear demand: turn West Ham into a side built not just to escape the Championship, but to live like a Premier League club before they even get there.