Report Claims West Ham’s Resurgence “Wouldn’t Have Been Possible” Without One Summer Signing
Report Claims West Ham’s Resurgence “Wouldn’t Have Been Possible” Without One Summer Signing
There was a time earlier this season when West Ham United looked anything but a team ready to challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League.
The Hammers had been relegated from the top flight, expectations were enormous and the opening weeks of their Championship campaign did little to calm the nerves around the London Stadium. Nuno Espírito Santo was trying to mould a heavily reshaped squad, new players were still adapting and the pressure surrounding the club was obvious.
But something has changed.
West Ham are now flying.
After failing to win any of their first three league matches, Nuno’s side have responded with four consecutive Championship victories, scoring 16 goals in the process. The latest was the statement performance of the season so far — a ruthless 6-0 demolition of Wrexham that sent the Hammers back to the top of the Championship with 14 points.
And while the goals have been shared around the squad, one summer signing has increasingly emerged as a central figure behind the transformation.
Arne Engels.
A report has now suggested that West Ham’s resurgence “wouldn’t have been possible” without the Belgian midfielder, a claim that may sound dramatic at first but becomes increasingly difficult to dismiss when looking at how Nuno’s team has developed since his arrival.
Engels arrived from Celtic during the summer in a deal reported to be worth around £22 million — a Championship transfer record at the time — and the expectation surrounding his shoulders was enormous.
This was not simply another squad signing.
West Ham had lost Mateus Fernandes, their major creative midfield presence, to Tottenham in a huge deal. Nuno therefore needed somebody capable of filling a significant hole in the centre of the pitch.
Engels was identified as that player.
The Belgian signed a five-year contract with an option for another season, bringing with him considerable experience despite his young age. Before joining West Ham, he had already played senior football for Club Brugge, Augsburg and Celtic, while also representing Belgium at international level. His time in Scotland had been particularly productive, with West Ham’s official profile highlighting 39 direct goal involvements across exactly 100 appearances for Celtic.
The initial price tag naturally attracted attention.
£22 million is a huge amount of money for a Championship club.
But West Ham were not simply buying a player for the second tier. They were investing in someone they believed could help them escape the division and remain valuable if they returned to the Premier League.
That distinction is important.
Engels was brought in to be part of the promotion project, not merely to help West Ham survive in the Championship.
And his performances are beginning to justify the faith.
According to recent statistical analysis, Engels has become one of West Ham’s most creative players. He has created 14 chances in the Championship, placing him second among West Ham players behind Jarrod Bowen. His chance creation has been particularly impressive considering his role in central midfield.
Another analysis went even further.
Engels’ combination with Divine Mukasa in central midfield has been highlighted as one of the tactical changes that may have completely altered the way Nuno’s side functions.
Rather than simply sitting deeper and attempting to dictate play from a conservative position, Engels has been given the freedom to influence the game higher up the pitch while still contributing to West Ham’s build-up.
That has allowed Mukasa to operate alongside him and given West Ham another route through the middle.
The numbers are striking.
One recent analysis recorded Engels creating 14 chances in just four Championship appearances at the time, averaging 3.5 chances created per 90 minutes. His passing accuracy was also above 90 per cent, while his defensive contribution showed that he was not simply an attacking midfielder waiting for opportunities to appear.
That versatility could be one of the biggest reasons why his importance to Nuno’s system has grown so quickly.
West Ham needed creativity.
They needed control.
They needed somebody capable of connecting defence and attack.
And they needed somebody who could help compensate for the departure of Fernandes.
Engels has started to provide all three.
The timing of his arrival was also significant.
He was not available for West Ham’s opening Championship match against Burnley, meaning he had to watch from the sidelines as Nuno’s side surrendered a two-goal lead and eventually drew 2-2.
Once Engels became available, however, he quickly became a regular part of the midfield.
That is where the argument surrounding his influence becomes particularly interesting.
West Ham’s first three league matches produced no victories.
Since then, they have won four consecutive league games.
Wolves were beaten.
Derby County were defeated.
Bolton Wanderers were overcome in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Then came Wrexham.
And what followed was not merely another three points.
It was a warning to the rest of the Championship.
West Ham destroyed Wrexham 6-0 at the London Stadium, with six different players finding the net. Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring before Joël Piroe doubled the advantage, while Konstantinos Mavropanos, Taty Castellanos, Mohamadou Kanté and Manor Solomon completed the demolition after the break.
Six goals.
Six different scorers.
Four consecutive league victories.
Sixteen goals during the winning run.
And suddenly, the team that had looked nervous at the beginning of the season looked like one of the strongest promotion candidates in the division.
That transformation is why the Engels claim has attracted attention.
Of course, it would be unfair to suggest that one midfielder is solely responsible.
Jarrod Bowen has been outstanding.
Joël Piroe has contributed goals.
Mohamadou Kanté has emerged as an exciting young player.
Divine Mukasa has also provided another attacking dimension.
The defence has become more reliable, while Nuno has gradually found a better balance between experience and youth.
But Engels appears to be the piece that helps connect those parts together.
He does not necessarily need to score every week to influence matches.
His value is often seen before the final pass or shot.
He receives the ball.
He moves it forward.
He creates space.
He finds attacking players.
He delivers set pieces.
He helps West Ham progress through midfield.
And when possession is lost, he can contribute defensively.
That all-round profile is exactly what made him attractive to West Ham in the first place.
The club’s own description of Engels identifies him as a creative all-round midfielder and set-piece specialist. He arrived after winning consecutive Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic, along with the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
There is also an important psychological element to the signing.
West Ham needed players who were prepared to embrace the pressure of promotion.
Engels knew exactly what he was walking into.
He joined a club with a massive fanbase, huge expectations and an immediate demand to return to the Premier League.
In his first interview after signing, Engels spoke about being attracted by the opportunity to play in front of West Ham’s passionate supporters and help the club achieve promotion.
That mentality matters.
The Championship is not simply about having talented players.
It is about consistency.
It is about handling pressure.
It is about winning ugly when necessary and producing dominant performances when the opportunity arrives.
West Ham’s four-match winning streak suggests they are beginning to understand that.
And Engels has been right in the middle of it.
Perhaps the biggest compliment to his impact is that the £22 million price tag is no longer dominating the conversation.
When he first arrived, supporters understandably questioned whether West Ham were spending too much money on a Championship midfielder.
Now the conversation is changing.
The question is becoming whether West Ham could have rebuilt this midfield without him.
That is a very different debate.
Recent analysis has described Engels as a player who is already showing positive early returns despite the enormous transfer fee. He has taken responsibility for set pieces and has quickly established himself in Nuno’s starting XI.
And there is still room for improvement.
Engels is only 23.
He has already experienced top-level football in Belgium, Germany and Scotland, but the Championship presents a completely different challenge.
The physicality is relentless.
The schedule is demanding.
Promotion pressure grows with every passing week.
If he continues adapting at this rate, however, West Ham could have acquired far more than a Championship midfielder.
They may have found a player capable of becoming a long-term Premier League asset.
That is the bigger picture behind the signing.
West Ham are not simply trying to win games.
They are trying to rebuild.
The club has undergone significant changes since relegation, both on and off the pitch, and Nuno has had to construct a new identity.
Engels fits that project perfectly.
He is young enough to improve, experienced enough to contribute immediately and versatile enough to operate in different midfield roles.
Most importantly, he appears to be giving Nuno options.
And when a manager has options, the entire team becomes harder to predict.
That was evident against Wrexham.
Nuno made five changes to the side that had beaten Bolton, yet West Ham still produced their biggest league victory of the campaign. The result demonstrated that the squad is developing depth while the tactical structure is becoming more reliable.
That is exactly what promotion contenders need.
The early-season uncertainty has not disappeared completely, but it has been replaced by something West Ham desperately needed:
momentum.
And Engels has become one of the faces of that momentum.
Four wins in a row.
Sixteen goals.
Top of the Championship.
A midfield beginning to click.
A manager beginning to find his formula.
And a £22 million signing increasingly looking like the player who helped make the whole transformation possible.
The season is still young, so it would be premature to declare West Ham certain to win promotion.
There will be difficult away games.
There will be injuries.
There will be periods when opponents sit deep and force the Hammers to find another solution.
There will also be pressure whenever West Ham fail to win.
But after the uncertainty of the opening weeks, the direction of travel is now unmistakable.
West Ham are rising.
And at the centre of that rise is a Belgian midfielder who arrived carrying the weight of a Championship-record price tag.
Arne Engels was signed to replace a major creative loss.
He was signed to give Nuno control in midfield.
He was signed to help West Ham return to the Premier League.
And judging by the latest performances, he may already be proving why the club was willing to spend so heavily to get him.
The most intriguing part?
This could only be the beginning.
If Engels continues improving alongside Mukasa, Kanté, Bowen, Piroe and the rest of Nuno’s squad, West Ham’s recent resurgence may eventually be remembered as the moment their promotion campaign truly came alive.
And if that happens, the £22 million fee that once looked like a gamble could end up looking like one of the smartest decisions West Ham made all summer.