Brighton welcomes goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht on five-year contract

Brighton have signed goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht on a five-year contract that will extend until June 2028.

Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton's first-team head coach, expressed his delight over the signing.

He said, “I am very pleased to have signed Bart. He is used to playing a type of football similar to ours and he will have no problem fitting into our group. He has the potential to become a very important player for the club in the coming years.”

At only 20, Verbruggen has already made his mark in the football world. His performance for Anderlecht during the 2022/23 season won him the title of Player of the Season. Additionally, he received his first call-up to the Netherlands senior squad in March this year.

Verbruggen's football journey began in his hometown club NAC Breda. He made a significant career move to Belgium in 2020 and debuted for Anderlecht in May 2021 in a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge.

Despite starting the 2022/23 season as Anderlecht’s backup keeper, Verbruggen made a significant leap in his career, receiving his first league start of the campaign on Stephen's Day.

Since then, he started every league game and contributed significantly to his team reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.

The young goalkeeper's international career also kicked off with his debut for the Netherlands Under-21 last month in a 0-0 draw with Japan, following his representation of the country at the Under-18 level.