Bart Verbruggen: ‘Important Brighton reach Europe to show just how good we are'

New York Times

07-05-2025

In the cramped away dressing room at St James' Park, Bart Verbruggen used his height to push back into place a ceiling tile which had been knocked loose during celebrations with his Brighton & Hove Albion team-mates.
They were euphoric at beating Newcastle 2-1 after extra time in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the beginning of March. The mood shifted to disappointment in Sunday's 1-1 draw between the teams at the Amex Stadium, as an 89th-minute penalty by Alexander Isak deprived Brighton of two points in their quest to qualify for Europe.
Even so, there was another example that there is no ceiling to the potential of Verbruggen. In the 96th minute, the Dutchman flung his 6ft 3in (191cm) frame skywards to tip over a shot from Newcastle substitute Callum Wilson. That agile save could prove crucial in Brighton's bid to end the season two places higher in eighth position, which would probably secure a spot in the Europa Conference League.
'I think the fact that you don't have to do a lot as a goalie shows that you play for a good team, and to be able to help the team when the team needs you can be challenging if you don't get a lot of work,' Verbruggen told The Athletic afterwards.
'But at the end of the day, that's what you're there for and it's my job to stay focused and stay concentrated and be there when the team needs me so I'm happy I was able to do that.'
Verbruggen's comments undersold an assured performance that also included a fingertip save to deflect an angled drive by Harvey Barnes in the early stages of a contest in which his side were on the defensive for periods in both halves. Back in October, Verbruggen was outstanding in a 1-0 win at Newcastle in the Premier League and again the following month in a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth.
The good has sometimes been overshadowed by the bad in the 22-year-old's first season as Brighton's undisputed No 1. Verbruggen bundled Cole Palmer's cross into his own net in an eventual 2-1 victory over Chelsea at home in February's FA Cup fourth-round tie.
An absolute nightmare from Bart Verbruggen in goal 😐
Cole Palmer puts it towards goal but the keeper spills it in! @ChelseaFC | @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/d4vruyqWK3
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 8, 2025
A sprinkling of errors included errant passes pounced on by the opposition in defeats at Fulham in December (2-1) and Nottingham Forest in February (7-0), although comfort in possession was evident in a long-range assist for Kaoru Mitoma's goal of the season contender in a 3-0 home league win over Chelsea within a fortnight of the Forest debacle.
Data evidence highlights Verbruggen's mixed bag. As the table shows, in terms of shot-stopping, Verbruggen is 24th among the 25 Premier League goalkeepers who have played at least 900 minutes. Overall, including penalties, he has faced 137 shots on target and saved 83, giving him a save rate of 60 per cent.
On the plus side, Verbruggen is active in coming outside of his box to sweep up (see map below). His 1.4 interventions per 90, based on a minimum of 10 matches played, ranks him ninth. Distribution-wise, his long pass completion percentage of 40 per cent is the eighth-best in the division.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler felt the need to urge support for Verbruggen from his critics in the fanbase during his press conference before the 3-2 home win over West Ham United last month. Verbruggen performed well in that game, stretching to deflect a header by Tomas Soucek onto the bar in the first half. And in the previous home game, a 2-2 draw against Leicester City, another fingertip save onto the far post stopped Bilal El Khannouss from curling in a late winner.
All of which prompted vigorous defence by Hurzeler of Verbruggen during his press conference between the West Ham and Newcastle fixtures. 'So, besides all the criticism he has received in the past, I think that we also have to emphasise the big saves,' Hurzeler said. 'I think the life of a goalkeeper is not always easy because if you make one mistake, it normally results in a goal.
'This is his first full Premier League season. He played last season, but it was two games in, two games out. It's not easy to get into a rhythm. Now he's playing every game and it's also changed for him. We see a great person, we see a great goalkeeper with the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
'That's what we really try to get out of him. You need to go through a phase like this. You need to stay exactly in these moments, be very stable. You need to show personality. And that's what I demand from him and that's what he's also able to do. And that's why I think that he will come out of this phase very strong and will be a big, big goalkeeper for us.'
Hurzeler has nailed his colours to the mast, abandoning the goalkeeping rotation policy of his predecessor Roberto De Zerbi last season, one which saw Verbruggen share the workload with Jason Steele in his first year after a £16.3million move from Anderlecht. Verbruggen made 27 appearances in all competitions, the now 34-year-old Steele had 23 games. They played a leg each — Verbruggen at home, Steele away — in the 4-1 aggregate defeat by Roma in the Europa League last-16.
'I think every player wants rhythm, every player wants to feel the trust,' Verbruggen told The Athletic following the Newcastle draw. 'I also felt the trust of Roberto, but when you play every game, of course it's what every player wants, so I'm really happy and again I'm really grateful for the trust that the manager puts in me and my team-mates put in me. I'm just trying to pay him back.'
Hurzeler's faith is shared at international level by Ronald Koeman. The Netherlands manager named Verbruggen as his first choice over Brentford's Mark Flekken before last summer's European Championship in Germany. Verbruggen went on to shine, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play at the tournament for 60 years against Poland in the group stages on the way to a 2-1 semi-final defeat by England.
Verbruggen said on Sunday: 'First of all, it's a dream to come through, to be the No 1 of Holland. Every time I step in the dressing room and I see my name with No 1 it's a big, big privilege, something I hope to enjoy a lot more years. Of course, it's a dream and from there, you want to help your country win big things and we got pretty close this summer. We're going to try and do it again in the next one.'
The aim for Verbruggen is to head to the World Cup in 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico after representing Brighton in Europe for the second time in three seasons.