Lucca Brughmans feels pressure over a €35m transfer to Anderlecht

Lucca Brughmans, 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper, starts each Jupiler Pro League match under particular pressure after his transfer to Liverpool valued at several tens of millions of euros, and on Sunday he helped KRC Genk earn a point against Anderlecht.

The transfer fee has been the subject of several estimates: some reports place it between €20 million and €35 million, others mention €33 million, while the English club announced a payment of €35 million.

Immediate impact at Genk

The goalkeeper shone in the duel against Anderlecht, where the match ended 0-0. Thanks to two decisive saves, he was named man of the match, thus giving KRC Genk the long‑awaited point.

Reactions of the young goalkeeper

“This match wasn’t easy, we had to fight for this point. When you can’t win a game, you have to try to hold the draw and that’s exactly what we did,” he said after the match. He added that the chances were balanced and that he was satisfied with the point.

But he points out that, despite the change in status, “I know how my teammates see me and even if things have changed, I remain the same person in their eyes, that’s the most important,” Brughmans affirmed.

In the long term, the goal is to become number 1 at Liverpool and he said he wants to achieve it “step by step”. He stresses that the priority remains to help Genk this season.

The objective this season is to help Genk have the best possible season, he explains, emphasizing his total commitment.

However, there remains the possibility that Liverpool will bring him back in January, for example if Mamardashvili were to leave, a clause having been included in the contract.

“I’m not really aware of it. It’s not up to me to deal with it,” Brughmans confided, adding that he does not feel any extra pressure related to the transfer fee.

Mike Penders, who went through a difficult period after his €20 million transfer to Chelsea, was cited as a comparison, but Brughmans notes that each experience is different and that he did not feel the need to refer to it.