These days Gert Verheyen is known as an analyst of Belgian football, but he was once a footballer, one who nearly ended up at Ipswich Town.
That’s according to the man himself, who has detailed how he nearly ended up joining the club in 2001.
Verheyen, now 51, spent all of his career playing in Belgium, starting out with Hoogstraten VV as a youngster before moving to Lierse, Anderlecht and lastly Club Brugge.
He would make 415 league appearances for the latter, winning four league titles, four Belgian Cups and the Belgian Supercup on eight different occasions among other successes.
He was also a regular for Belgium in that time, racking up 50 appearances and scoring ten goals between 1994 and 2002.
He’s very much a club favourite as a result but in a recent appearance on the MIDMID Podcast, revealed how it could have been different as a move to Ipswich was very much on the table.
“Ipswich Town were very concrete at one point,” Voetbalkrant report him saying.
“They wanted to pay three million euros, while Club Brugge had taken me from RSC Anderlecht for barely one million euros at the time.
“Ipswich Town, however, was predestined. Their nickname is The Tractor Boys. At the time of the offer, they were playing in the Premier League, but they were also relegated that season.”
