A former Dutch international believes Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen ‘won’t go’ to Burnley this summer with Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United now expressing an interest.
Has the Verbruggen ship sailed, as far as Vincent Kompany is concerned? Perhaps not; Burnley securing the most inevitable of promotions since cousin Greg kept a few of those cruise documents for himself in HBO’s Succession.
Burnley came close to signing Verbruggen last year. According to The Sun, the Clarets remain interested, even with the 20-year-old’s price-tag soaring to around £15 million.
But while the allure of Premier League football should give Kompany’s hopes a helping hand, that potential boost may be offset by suggestions that Verbruggen now has admirers at both Liverpool and Manchester United.
Will Burnley miss out on Anderlecht’s Bart Verbruggen?
“He is simply unstoppable,” former Netherlands shot-stopper Ronald Waterreus tells Rondo. “This is (former Liverpool ace) Sander Westerveld, but even better. He was also a keeper who had everything. The body, physicality.
“That, Bart has too, only Bart is even better. Verbruggen has the peaceful mindset. If you talk to him, he is not a 20-year-old boy. He’s an adult guy. He knows exactly what he wants. I think he is already the best Dutch keeper at the moment, yes.”
Verbruggen has only been Anderlecht’s number one since Christmas, displacing veteran captain Hendrick van Crombrugge. Remarkably, a player who was given his first-team bow by Kompany at Lotto Park has only conceded one goal in his last eight games from an XG of eight.
Form that has Waterreus wondering aloud if Verbruggen is now out of Burnley’s reach.
“He won’t go there (to Burnley) anymore. The fact that Anderlecht chose him as their first-choice keeper will do them no harm this summer or another summer later (if they plan to sell).”
A penalty shoot-out specialist and an excellent distributor too, Anderlecht predecessor Franck Boeckx believes Verbruggen should delay any decision over his future until Burnley confirm that Kompany will be staying at Turf Moor for 2023/24.
“Bart Verbruggen can become one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” Boeckx insists. “I begged on my bare knees last summer (for Anderlecht) not to sell him.”
“I would never sign for a (specific) coach at a club. Who says that Kompany will not go to Tottenham soon? I myself once stayed at AA Gent for coach Victor Fernandez. Three months later, Fernandez was gone and I was in the B-team!
“Verbruggen will of course decide his own future. But, in my opinion, he should stay at Anderlecht for another year.”
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