Nottingham Forest were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Celtic’s Arne Engels during the winter transfer window

Celtic’s Arne Engels was the subject of transfer interest from Nottingham Forest(Image: Getty)

Arne Engels took winter window transfer interest from Nottingham Forest in his stride, according to Celtic boss Martin O’Neill.

The Reds had three bids for the midfielder rejected as they failed in attempts to prise away the 22-year-old. Offers reportedly worth £14 million and £17m were rebuffed, before an eyebrow-raising package worth up to £25m went the same way just before the window closed.

Some reports suggested Engels was unhappy at the bids being knocked back. However, O’Neill has insisted the Belgium international remained professional and focused throughout.

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“He never made an issue,” the European Cup winner told The Herald (via 67 Hail Hail). “It was what it was. The last offer we got, I didn’t realise until (chief executive officer) Michael Nicholson told me, was three hours before the deadline.

“A lot of players would be chomping at the bit saying, ‘I want to go’ because he was going to be earning more money, he was going to be doing a lot of things like that. He’s not complained at all.”

Engels is currently sidelined with a thigh injury but is expected to return after the international break. O’Neill added: “It’s interesting sometimes, it’s only when somebody’s not playing do you actually miss them. I think that would be the case with Arne.”

The centre of the pitch was an area Forest were keen to strengthen for the second half of the campaign. They tried their luck for a number of targets, with the likes of NEC Nijmegen’s Kodai Sano among those linked in addition to Engels, but were unable to get a deal over the line.

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In the end, the winter window closed with the club having made just three additions. Left-back Luca Netz joined from Borussia Monchengladbach on deadline day, striker Lorenzo Lucca completed a loan move from Napoli and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega made the switch from Manchester City.

Regardless of whether they stay up or go down, assessing their midfield options is expected to be something the Reds revisit in the summer. England international Elliot Anderson has a long list of admirers and is set to be the subject of plenty of interest come the end of the season.

Securing survival would put Forest in a stronger position when it comes to rivals eyeing up their prized assets. Their 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday moved Vitor Pereira’s side three points clear of the drop zone with seven games remaining.

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