Albion’s latest summer signing Bart Verbruggen has been labelled an immense talent.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper becomes the Seagulls fourth signing of the summer after joining from Belgian giants Anderlecht on a five-year contract until June 2028.

But just who is Verbruggen and what can Albion fans expect from the Dutch U21’s?

I spoke to Sven Claes, who is a Belgian football journalist. Claes has revealed what Brighton fans can expect from Verbruggen.

He said: “Verbruggen already exudes exceptional maturity as a 20-year-old goalkeeper.

“Anderlecht’s scout were already convinced of Verbruggen’s qualities during his first match in the warm-up.

“He is a boy with leadership qualities, good reflexes and a good kicking technique. Verbruggen also more than holds his own in the air due to his height.

“The transfer fee Anderlecht are making speaks volumes about his immense talent.”

Verbruggen made 23 appearances in all competitions for Anderlecht last season, keeping eight clean sheets. He also had the best save success rate (76.2%) in the Jupiler Pro League.

But the Dutchman has had to wait for his opportunity. Prior to last season, he had only made seven appearances in his first two seasons at Anderlecht.

Claes explains why Verbruggen game time was limited early on his time at Anderlecht.

He said: “Verbruggen was brought in in the summer of 2020 as an 18-year-old goalkeeper with huge potential from Dutch side NAC Breda. Anderlecht goalkeeper coach Jelle Ten Rouwelaar worked with Verbruggen at NAC Breda at the time.

“In his first season with Anderlecht, Verbruggen still had a lot to learn behind the experienced goalkeeper Hendrik Van Crombrugge (30), who is also the captain of the team. In his second season, Verbruggen increasingly knocked on the door for a starting place. He had to be patient until Christmas.

“Van Crombrugge had been told he was losing his place under the crossbar to the talented Verbruggen. The experienced goalkeeper also weighed heavily on Anderlecht’s budget and was allowed to look for a new challenge.

“Afterwards, Verbruggen quickly created a furore in Belgium and Europe.”

One of the big questions will be how Verbruggen will adapt to the Premier League.

Claes believes the young shot-stopper will excel once he adapts to English football.

He said: “No doubt about it. Of course Verbruggen will need an adjustment period just like with Anderlecht, but I expect him to be able to stand there quickly.

“It remains to be seen how he will handle the added pressure now. At Anderlecht, there was nothing to be gained this season. Excelling once a month in the Conference League is quite something else than being on level terms every week in the Premier League.

“Even mentally, Verbruggen is already extremely strong. As a Dutchman, he is a smooth talker for the media. He will never sell nonsense and will say what’s on his mind.”

The Seagulls reportedly fought off competitions from other Premier League side such as Manchester United and Burnley.

Burnley has been favourites to land Verbruggen at one point given the fact that manager Vincent Kompany had coached Verbruggen at Anderlecht previously.

However, Claes believes Albion’s reputation in Belgium would have played a part in Verbruggen’s decision to head to the South Coast.

He said: “I’ve read that Burnley also did not want to enter into a bidding war with Brighton, who after all have been a fixture in the Premier League since 2017 and have produced nice(er) results in recent years.

“Brighton is of course not unknown in Belgium due to ties with Union and the top transfer of Belgian Red Devil Leandro Trossard (ex-KRC Genk).

“The environment is similar to Belgium, which will speed up his integration.”

Verbruggen represented the Netherlands at the U21’s European Championships this summer. The 20-year-old started in between the sticks ahead of his Albion teammate Kjell Scherpen and impressed. Verbruggen won man of the match in their goalless draw against Belgium, making six saves, 36 accurate passes (94.7%) and played 5 accurate long balls out of the seven he attempted.

His performances in the Euro U21 Championships have got Albion fans even more excited about the signing and the potential that Verbruggen has.