Club Brugge's Swiss midfielder #30 Ardon Jashari (R) defends from Celtic's Belgian midfielder #27 Arne Engels during the UEFA Champions League football match between Celtic and Club Brugge at Celtic Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on November 27, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
After having two bids for Arne Engels rejected Nottingham Forest are being linked with a move for Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough.
It seems clear that Sean Dyche’s side are looking to add to their central midfield options with the clock ticking rapidly towards the end of the window.
English clubs have until until 7pm to complete business which makes things very tight for an Engels deal.
NICHOLSON KEEN ON ENGELS SALE
Engels has been available all season long at Celtic. But a full medical would be required to complete any transfer in the region of £17-20m.
On all previous form Celtic will be working hard to sell the midfielder.
Team building and trying to build for success are very much an after thought as Michael Nicholson looks to boost the Balance Sheet.
Despite some horrific signings Celtic made a huge transfer profit in the summer. Thanks mainly to the sale of Nicolas Kuhn.
The major signings were Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Those two deals were almost financed by the sale of Adam Idah as Nicholson’s gutted Celtic’s scoring options.
Middlesbrough are holding firm on Hayden Hackney! ?
Offer from Nottingham Forest rejected ?
Boro want him to stay and lead the promotion push.
Hackney ? 23 years old, 18 months left on his Riverside contract.
Forest also failed with a move for Celtic’s Arne Engels today ?…
— NFC Update (@DailyVersion12) February 2, 2026
? Middlesbrough have rejected a deadline day bid for Hayden Hackney, after #NFFC‘s £17m attempt for Arne Engels failed.
The #Boro captain looks set to stay put at the club once again ?
?? @LowerTiershttps://t.co/HGPmhtOIEO
— Alex (@AlexComber_) February 2, 2026
With Middlesbrough pushing strongly for promotion to the EPL there is little logic in selling Hackney at this stage in the transfer window.
Middlesbrough are joint top of the Championship on the back of a five match winning run as Coventry falter.
TEAM SHEET V BALANCE SHEET
Under Steve Gibson footballing matters have always been the priority at the Riverside Stadium.
Celtic do things differently. Generating a profit and paying £10m plus in Corporation Tax is the priority despite claims that every penny that comes in is reinvested in the club.
At 12 noon on Deadline Day Celtic have yet to be involved in any permanent deals, incoming or outgoing. That could change at any moment.
There will be no comment from Celtic until tomorrow’s media duties for the match at Aberdeen.
Since returning as interim manager Martin O’Neill has been a master of deflecting transfer speculation. Tomorrow the poker games end with 14 matches left in the SPFL Premiership.
As manager O’Neill has dropped just two domestic points either side of four defeats from Wilfried Nancy.
Fans will be watching carefully for developments in both directions with zero confidence in Nicholson acting in the best interests of the team on the park.
If they sell Engels today after what MON said yesterday and then don’t replace him with a player for at least half of what they get it’s betrayal
I suppose the key question is:
is DD contactable today, or is he not be disturbed on a golf course somewhere?
Guess we’ll get ‘someone’ in today,
…and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a regular starter getting punted too?
If there was a replacement for Engels on the strength of selling him then personally, I wouldn’t miss him.
He just hasn’t delivered, and I doubt he will.
But as we all know, Celtic don’t do one out one in, like for like.
For F*uck’s sake !
They canny wait to pawn off vital assets like Kyogo, Kühn And Idah (70 goals per season)…
Yet they allegedly turn down £11 million for an utter dud like Engels…
If ever there was a case of The Lunatics running the asylum it’s at Parkhead !
Edit Line Three Above…
Yet they allegedly turn down £17 million for Engels !
Forest trying to sign their own player???
They are back with a 20M plus 5M add ons … will Mikey´s arse start twitching ?
Forest back with a third bid worth up to £25 million for Engels, according to Sky sports. £20 million down with £5 million in add ons. I think that’s him gone then. No word on a replacement- if any.
Third bid just been rejected according to Sky.
Transfermarkt state Forest have TWENTY players valued at more than Engels….so we should be asking for at least DOUBLE their offer. Ask them for a player and they will quote £ 30-40m so we should do likewise. Every player is replaceable but clearly very little time, especially for someone as inept as Nicholson to tie up a quality replacement
Sell Engels and we conceded the title as we will assuredly NOT replace with similar quality IF at all !!
We SHOULD be making a statement signing, given that we are well in profit already with our Transfer BUDGET approx +£13m on top of the £ 10m we had set aside to spend this season !!!!
DD will happily sanction Engels’ sale,
as ‘punishment’ for the dip in revenues from Merch…?
Then, Engels may – or may not – be replaced in the summer.
Depressingly familiar ‘strategy’ : boost the cash pile at the expense of any football ambition.
I thought you were making that up – I had to Google it to make sure there really is a footballer called “Hayden Hackney”.
Bet he didn’t get the p15h ripped out him at school – much!