He was 20 years old when he signed for Celtic in the summer of 2011. He went on to score a goal during one of Celtic's most memorable victories in the Champions League as Neil Lennon's men defeated the mighty Barcelona 2-1 at Parkhead in the same year.

Victor Wanyama was his name. The Celtic fans remember him fondly. The Kenyan midfield powerhouse spent two years at Celtic Park before signing for English Premier League Southampton in a £12.5 million deal.

That's why there's a touch of deja-vu about Matt O'Riley quitting Celtic and heading for the bright lights of the English Premier League with Brighton and Hove Albion. The Celtic Way revealed that the deal is all but done and could be concluded within the next 24 hours.

A Scottish record transfer fee which will shatter the £25 million forked out by Arsenal for Kieran Tierney in 2019 and Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Ittihad for Jota last summer will soften the blow a little for those who regularly frequent G40.

However, the silver lining, if there is one to be had here is that Celtic and Brendan Rodgers are now on the hunt not for an O'Riley replacement per se - although that would be sensational if they did find one - but rather the new Wanyama.

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Celtic will find out their opponents in the new Champions League league phase on August 29. It's an exciting challenge that lies ahead of Rodgers's men. Rodgers reiterated his desire after Sunday's 3-1 win over Hibernian in the League Cup that secured a last-eight berth that he wanted to 'compete and not just participate' in this season's Champions League tournament.

There will be Celtic supporters sitting dreading the fact that the men in green and white will be going up against the elite of European football significantly weakened if O'Riley is allowed to leave in the summer window. However, that all depends on who Celtic have earmarked to be his replacement. The club have been heavily linked to two midfielders of repute in the last week.

Alvyn Sanches of Lausanne is viewed as one of Swiss football's hottest properties and is available for £4.5 million as well as Belgium's Engels who currently plies his trade for Bundesliga outfit Augsburg and is rated in the £10 million bracket.

Engels is at the top end of Celtic's wish list and it would be a significant outlay for a player rated as a 'sensation'. Rodgers though is very much into succession planning and Engels could well be what is required at Celtic if they want to further their European ambitions.

Celtic came up agonisingly short against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Lazio and it was the concession of costly goals at home in both those matches that ultimately cost them in their quest to reach the knockout phase.

Whilst a midfield trio of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and O'Riley can despatch opponents domestically at will, Rodgers knows that a little bit more savvy and nous is needed when you go against the cream of European football's crop.

Unearthing another Wanyama type would allow Celtic to adopt a more pragmatic approach in Europe. Engels is the prototype defensive midfield player who fits that bill and Rodgers has clearly identified that is what he needs for Celtic.

Celtic have held tentative talks with Engels's representatives and the alleged word around the football campfire is that the player would be keen on a move to the Scottish champions as they can offer Champions League football.

In an exclusive interview with The Celtic Way, German football expert and ESPN Sports commentator Derek Rae had this to say of Engels.

Rae said: “I remember the first time I watched Engels was at Borussia Dortmund, which would have been around 18 months ago at the beginning of 2023. Augsburg had just signed the player and decided to just throw him into the starting 11. He was a young player who had just signed from Belgium at Club Brugge, and they had determined that he was good enough to play in that game.

“What was immediately clear was that he was very good technically. He is a defensive midfielder but more like your modern defensive midfielder, so not a battering ram but someone whose timing is really important. He is someone whose technical game and fundamentals are at a high level. He acquitted himself very well in that game and at Augsburg in general in his 50 or so appearances at the club.

“With Engels, Celtic would be getting a good all-round player and a player that also takes corners for his current club, as he can deliver a good ball into the box.

“Anybody who is a defensive midfielder who is taking corners tells you that there are aspects to his game that are more than what just your run-of-the-mill central defensive midfield players would typically offer.”

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Despite the hefty transfer outlay, there would be real merit in Celtic purchasing Engels. Sadly the days of landing a new Wanyama, who was purchased for a snip from Belgian side Beerschot for £900,000, are long gone. Celtic has the financial wherewithal and with O'Riley edging closer to the exit door it would make sense to do business with Augsburg.

As Rae said: "Augsburg are the sort of club where if the right player comes in for a player like Engels, then they’re not going to turn it down. For Celtic, it would be a hefty sum concerning transfer fee, and it would take them into their record-signing range.”

It would be a prudent move by Celtic because in Champions League matches it would allow skipper McGregor to push further forward where he would pose a real danger and threat to any opposition alongside the more forward-thinking Hatate with Engels as the sitter in the number six role. Rodgers would definitely see it as a square peg in a square hole.

The presence of Engels in the middle of the park would give Celtic solidity, some strength, brute force and physicality where it's needed most but above all else the Belgian would be a bone-fide number six.

For Celtic to be successful in Europe, they are going to fine-tune their tactics and strategy at the elite level of club competition. After all, it was also Rodgers who spoke of the risk and reward strategy as he previewed the Hibs clash when it came to the recruitment of players.

The Irishman said: "I always think that's the challenge. That is our challenge. To get to the end of this window and have the very best team that we can possibly have on the field. That's what we want. That's what the Celtic supporters want. Hopefully, we can do that. I say hope, I want us to be able to do that.

"It is the attitude to risk. You can sign a player for one or two million and you might sell them for 10 million. You can buy a player at seven or eight million and sell him for thirty or forty million. It's the same thing. It is all about trusting the process and the team of people who work really hard and allow me to get the players in. The Celtic supporters are deserving of that."

That sounded like a man who had it all in hand. It sounded like a man who had a contingency plan if O'Riley was to clinch a move away from Celtic between now and the end of the transfer window. It also sounded like a man who wouldn't baulk at straying into 'record fee territory' just as he did with the £9.5 million acquisition of Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah earlier this month.

O'Riley's performances last season accounted for 37 goal contributions which comprised 19 goals and 18 assists. The Celtic supporters will find it hard to see any silver lining if he leaves within the next 10 days. Whilst that is partly true, the Danish internationalist was a once-in-a-generation type of player. He will be sadly missed.

However, if Engels were to sign for Celtic and he turns out to be a Wanyama type and the club becomes more competitive at the Champions League level and the Scottish champions start to claim scalps in that arena then the means will almost certainly justify the end.

Sometimes you have to take steps backwards to move forward and progress. Rodgers is very aware of that. Somehow down the years Celtic have always managed to fill the void and chasm created by wonderfully gifted and talented players who have created an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of the supporters and contributed to the rich tapestry of the club's historical fabric. Kenny Dalglish, Charlie Nicholas, Stiliyan Petrov, Wanyama, Virgil Van Dijk, Tierney, Jota...you can add O'Riley's name now to the endless list of Celtic players who have headed for pastures new.

For the record, Engels is 20 years old. That's the same age Wanyama was when he joined the club. Engels would cost around 10 times what Celtic shelled out on Wanyama. A new Wanyama? It makes perfect sense for Rodgers and Celtic.

There is no uncertainty over O'Riley leaving Celtic now so the club will have to act quickly if they are to bring in Engels.

The clock is ticking on Engels...On your Marx!