If you’re up to date with Burnley transfers and targets, you should know plenty about goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
He was close to joining the Clarets in the summer transfer window, with Vincent Kompany keen on him as part of his complete overhaul of the squad.
A deal never happened despite several bids from Burnley but that has not ended their interest, with it made clear they remain big fans of the goalkeeper and could return for him in the coming months.
In the meantime, Verbruggen has established himself as the number one at Anderlecht with a series of impressive performances this season and Walfoot cover that today.
They say the goalkeeper is ‘definitely on fire’ and continued that with a ‘historic penalty shoot-out’ against Ludogorets last nights.
The website states that it would be difficult to find a happier player than Verbruggen at Anderlecht after he helped his side qualify for the Conference League by saving three penalties in the clash last night.
That had finished 2-1 to Anderlecht, taking the scores to 2-2 on aggregate and a penalty shootout in which Verbruggen shone.
Up stepped Verbruggen as the ‘hero’, saving all three of Ludogorets’ penalties, the first time that has happened in 35-years in a European competition. It was something he was, as you might imagine, more than happy with.
“Is that my speciality, the penalty shoot-out? I don’t know if you can say that yet. Let’s just say it’s the second time this season, and it’s gone well so far,” he is quoted as saying post-match.
“It’s a game within a game between the shooter and the goalkeeper. They try to put pressure on you, but by stopping shots, you put pressure on them. These are the kind of moments you dream of as a young goalkeeper.”
This performance was the latest in an impressive campaign for Verbruggen, who has ‘proved week after week’ that he deserves to be number one.
He’s also proven that Burnley were right to target him and Walfoot believe that ‘he will quickly attract’ the interest of European clubs with performances such as the one last night. Burnley being among them would not be a surprise given their efforts last summer.
