Nuno Espirito Santo on Arne Engels: West Ham's Premier League Ambitions

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo has made it clear: £22m signing Arne Engels has not arrived to be a Championship luxury. He has been bought to grow into a Premier League midfielder.

Engels, 22, is expected to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday after completing his move from Celtic, where he built a reputation as a creative force. The Belgian produced 17 goals and 22 assists in 100 appearances during two seasons in Glasgow, numbers that convinced West Ham to break the Championship transfer record.

"He's a fantastic player," Nuno told BBC Radio London. "We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us."

The West Ham boss spoke with conviction about what Engels brings and where he believes the player can take the club.

"He's a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area," Nuno said. "He's someone we truly believe who is going to come in, step in and help us. He's a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he's a hard worker."

The message around the deal was as much about strategy as it was about Saturday’s game. Nuno stressed that Engels fits into a broader plan aimed at dragging West Ham back to the top flight and keeping them there.

"All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also."

Engels is not the only new attacking piece. Nuno has reinforced his forward options by bringing England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa back to West Ham on loan from Manchester City for the season, adding youthful pace and movement to his front line. Dutch forward Joel Piroe has also arrived on loan from Leeds, giving the Hammers another proven finisher at this level.

Nuno framed the trio of arrivals as part of a deliberate build rather than a scramble for bodies.

"We should have different profiles in different positions. It's about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions," he said. "It's not about numbers, it's about profiles and in the end, what we want to achieve is to have a very balanced squad."

Engels’ first touch in claret and blue may come in the Championship, but everything about the way West Ham talk about him points higher.