Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Jean Butez is ready for the Premier League, after Burnley tried to sign him in the summer transfer window.
That’s according to Club Brugge’s Simon Mignolet, who believes the goalkeeper has everything to succeed in England and could even follow in the footsteps of Guglielmo Vicario at Tottenham and Bart Verbruggen at Brighton.
Butez has been starring for Antwerp since joining from Mouscron in July 2020, with a record of 58 clean sheets in 157 games for the club so far.
That record had seen him linked with a move away throughout this year, with Burnley, who have shown a consistent desire to sign players from Belgium since Vincent Kompany arrived as manager, particularly keen on him.
Numerous reports linked them with a move before they eventually signed James Trafford as their new number one moving forwards.
Whether he gets an offer from the Premier League again remains to be seen but Mignolet certainly believes he can play there, using Tottenham and Brighton’s current number ones as examples.
“Because Jean is not the most imposing goalkeeper in terms of stature. Agreed, but… Look at how Vicario manifests himself with Tottenham. That should also be possible for Jean. It is of course a big step, but Jean is ready for abroad,” he said.
“Whether it is Spain, France, Germany or England, a lot will depend on the type of football his future club plays. Now take Bart Verbruggen, who went from Anderlecht to Brighton.
“Well, Butez would fit in there too. Because the focus at Brighton is on playing football. Much more than on your posture, let alone kick-and-rush.
“Jean is a place of peace. He has a good long ball, starts the build-up very cleanly and reads the game well. Jean knows when to pass the ball and when to keep track of it. The way he anticipates crosses, to solve the problem before it arises, is also good.”
