West Ham United signed Arne Engels from Celtic this summer, after finding themselves rejected by Schalke’s Soufiane El-Faouzi.
SportBILD report that the 24-year-old was uninterested in the move to the London Stadium despite initial talks with the Hammers.
West Ham rejected
The newspaper explains that the midfielder has enjoyed a ‘meteoric rise’ at the German club since signing from Alem. Aachen last summer.
He’s gone from a third-division player with the latter into a key performer for Schalke in just one year. And that development has not gone unnoticed by other clubs.
SportBILD report that West Ham ‘recently made contact’ about a move. They sounded out the player’s camp regarding a potential transfer. They were then informed that Schalke were seeking a fee of over €10m.
That was not a problem for the Hammers. It seems they were happy to pay it. But they could not convince Soufiane El-Faouzi on the move. The Moroccan did not want to leave Schalke.
Instead, he preferred to stay where he is and become a face of the German club. He is ‘particularly inspired’ by the club’s emotional atmosphere and passion. Those are qualities he now hopes to experience in the Bundesliga.
A future West Ham target?
West Ham moved on quickly, eventually signing Arne Engels from Celtic for a fee of €25m. But they had been interested in a much cheaper option in El-Faouzi. Instead, he preferred to remain where he was and the next chapter at Schalke.
Whether he remains a transfer target in future, remains to be seen. A strong season in the Bundesliga could see him on more than West Ham’s shortlist.
Or, if the Hammers return to the Premier League next season, another move from the Hammers could be on the cards. For now, they’ve been rejected and Engels is the man tasked with getting them back to the Premier League.
