Brighton man admits he didn’t want to leave old club – Still follows them and thinks that’s logical

Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has admitted he didn’t want to leave Anderlecht last summer, and still follows them regularly.

Voetbalkrant cover comments from the Brighton goalkeeper today after he spoke to Play Sports in his homeland.

The 21-year-old joined Brighton in a €20m move from Anderlecht in July last year after a rapid rise at the Belgian side.

He had been with them since joining from NAC Breda U19s in 2020 and rose quickly through the ranks, establishing himself as a first-team player and then number one at the club with a series of impressive performances.

It was that which led Brighton to move for him in the summer, paying big to bring him to the club and add him to their list of talented youngsters they aim to develop for the future.

It’s been a mixed season on that front so far for the goalkeeper, who has found himself consistently being rotated by manager Roberto De Zerbi, whose policy is to consistently rotate his side throughout the campaign.

He doesn’t regret the move because of that, but admits he wasn’t particularly keen to leave Anderlecht either.

“I still follow Anderlecht closely,” he said.

“I think that’s logical. Anderlecht will always have a special place in my heart. They are currently in second place, but I believe in their title chances. With those play-offs, anything is possible.

“I actually didn’t want to leave Anderlecht at all,” Verbruggen surprised. “In the end it all happened very quickly. I still believe that I should not have hesitated when Brighton came knocking. I can still learn a lot here.”