Premier League chase tests O’Neill as Celtic fight to keep duo

West Ham United are actively pursuing 22‑year‑old Celtic midfielder Arne Engels while Everton have set their sights on 27‑year‑old Canadian full‑back Alistair Johnston, and manager Martin O’Neill hopes to keep both for the crucial Champions League qualifiers against Austrian side LASK, with the first leg at Celtic Park on 18‑19 August.

Both players featured in Celtic’s 1‑0 victory over Dundee, a win that sparked a positive start to the defence of the William Hill Premiership title thanks to a header from Benjamin Nygren.

Their performances in that match have attracted interest from the English Premier League.

O’Neill said, “Ideally, that would be brilliant, that would be really good… But ideally, that would be great,” adding that keeping the duo would be “really good” for the upcoming European fixtures.

He admitted that background transfer speculation could affect the team psychologically and physically, and he could not provide an update on any progress because he lacks information.

Celtic have already added Colombian striker Camilo Duran from Qarabağ for a reported £5.5 million (€6.42 million) and Danish forward Kasper Hogh for a club‑record £11 million (€12.85 million) plus add‑ons from Bodo/Glimt, underscoring O’Neill’s intent to bolster the squad.

He stated, “Well, I’m hoping that we’ll get some players in. That’s the aim,” noting that the two recent signings are decent but the club is striving to add more.