Why West Ham have one figure to thank as Arne Engels deal locked in with Celtic

West Ham United chiefs have been working hard behind the scenes to get a deal in place for Celtic midfield Arne Engels.

That work has paid off as West Ham have reached an agreement to sign the Belgium international.

The Hammers are set to pay a reported £22million to sign Engels, making it a record fee for a Championship club.

Engels has been on West Ham's radar for a while now after impressing for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership over the past couple of years.

All that is left is for Engels to complete a medical, before official confirmation of a deal hopefully then arrives.

Once that is done, West Ham may have one figure in particular to thank.

Why Nils Koppen is centre of Arne Engels transfer

Engels will undergo his West Ham medical on Friday, with no last-minute glitches anticipated.

As per a report from The Athletic, West Ham's recently appointed director of player recruitment Nils Koppen played a key part in the deal.

Koppen, who was previously in a similar role with Celtic's fierce rivals Rangers, viewed Engels as a top target upon arriving at the London Stadium.

The Belgian has now achieved what he set out to, assuming the deal does not collapse at this late stage.

The other players Koppen wanted at West Ham

Koppen's arrival in July was hailed as a positive step forward as it finally gave West Ham some direction.

Upon his appointment, a report suggested Dwight McNeil was wanted by Koppen at West Ham.

Whether or not that was a realistic deal is a different question as McNeil instead joined Crystal Palace in a swap deal involving Brennan Johnson.

The other name mentioned was Troyes midfielder Martin Adeline.

The attacking midfielder made the switch to Bundesliga side Hamburg last month, though, so that is another link that came to nothing.

However, Engels - hailed as a player whose "potential is massive" by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain earlier this month - may well be a better option than both of those, so let's hope this one is confirmed sooner rather than later.