Lucca Brughmans: Genk's Goalkeeper and Liverpool's Future Star
Lucca Brughmans is still waking up from it all.
One weekend he was Genk’s promising young goalkeeper with a free few days on the calendar. By the middle of the next week, he was a Liverpool player in a deal that could rise to $41 million (£30 million), a teenager suddenly carrying a heavyweight price tag and the expectations that come with it.
And yet, he sounds like someone who has been here before.
“I remained very level-headed about it,” Brughmans told reporters after Genk’s draw at Anderlecht, his first game since the move. The 18-year-old had just kept a clean sheet, back in goal, back in Belgium, barely days after completing the biggest step of his career.
‘I lived in a dream for three days’
The timeline was frantic. A free weekend. A whirlwind trip to Merseyside. Medical, signatures, photos. A look around Liverpool’s training complex – and only that, because time ran out.
“We had a free weekend and after that I lived in a dream for three days,” he said, speaking to Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws. “Due to lack of time, I was only able to visit the training complex.”
The dream didn’t last long. It couldn’t.
“Yes, it was hectic, but I switched gears on Monday. I flew back to Belgium and immediately joined training. Back to reality quickly, I am glad it worked out this way.”
Reality, for now, means Genk. Liverpool have loaned him straight back for the season, with the Belgian club promising the Reds they will protect their new signing as he continues as their No.1.
On Saturday, that meant walking into Anderlecht’s stadium with a new status, a new valuation, and a familiar task: keep the ball out of the net. He did, and Genk took a point.
A big fee, a calm response
The size of the deal has raised eyebrows on Merseyside. Up to $41 million for a teenager who has yet to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues is a bold statement, even for a club used to betting big on potential.
Brughmans, though, wants no part in the financial debate.
“That is something I have no idea about,” he said when asked about the fee. “That is not my job, so I leave that to the professionals.”
He knows the numbers belong to a different world. He also knows he needs to be anchored to the one he already lives in.
“But it is a different world. Luckily, I have people around me who are there to keep my feet on the ground.
“My family is everything. We are very close as a family. Of course, we were all together in Liverpool, and my little brother Beau was here tonight too. We try to attend as many of each other’s matches as possible.”
Interest from across Europe had already marked Brughmans out as one of the most coveted young goalkeepers on the continent. Real Madrid tracked him, among others, before Liverpool made their move late in the window. That tug-of-war only underlines how highly rated he is.
Liverpool’s future, Genk’s present
For Genk, he is the present. For Liverpool, he might be the future.
By the time Brughmans links up with the Reds next summer, the goalkeeping landscape at Anfield could look very different. Alisson Becker is in the final year of his contract. Giorgi Mamardashvili has been linked with a move away. The long-term succession plan in goal is clearly in motion.
Brughmans knows there is a plan for him. He just isn’t about to broadcast it.
“Of course, I can't fully reveal Liverpool's plan for me here,” he said with a laugh. “The intention is, however, to become their first-choice goalkeeper in the long term.
“I'm going to do everything I can to achieve that. I still need to take steps, and I'm happy that I can do that at Genk.”
For now, the dream is parked. The Premier League, the Kop, the walk out at Anfield – all of that can wait.
This season, his stage is Genk. His job is simple and brutal: prove that Liverpool’s gamble on his potential will one day look like a bargain.
