Lucca Brughmans on Liverpool Move: Living in a Dream

Lucca Brughmans spent three days in a dream. Then he got on a plane, went back to Belgium and kept a clean sheet at Anderlecht.

Liverpool’s new 18-year-old goalkeeper spoke for the first time about his deadline-day move, and the teenager’s words matched the way he plays: calm, measured, and already sounding like someone used to the noise around him.

A late addition to Liverpool’s summer business, Brughmans completed a deal that could rise to around $41 million (£30m) last week. He travelled to Merseyside for his medical, signed his contract, took in only a brief glimpse of his new surroundings – and was immediately sent back on loan to Genk for the season.

For a player his age, it could easily have been overwhelming. He didn’t let it be.

“I remained very level-headed about it,” Brughmans told reporters after Genk’s 0-0 draw at Anderlecht, where he marked his first appearance since the move with a shutout. “We had a free weekend and after that I lived in a dream for three days. Due to lack of time, I was only able to visit the training complex.”

The schedule was frantic. The mindset was not.

“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.”

That “reality” now includes being one of the most talked-about young goalkeepers in Europe. Brughmans has already attracted interest from several major clubs, with Real Madrid among those who tracked him, underlining how highly he is rated inside scouting departments.

Liverpool were the ones who pushed hardest, and the potential size of the fee has raised eyebrows among some supporters. Brughmans, though, is not losing any sleep over the numbers.

“That is something I have no idea about,” he said with a shrug. “That is not my job, so I leave that to the professionals.”

He knows, though, that the move has dropped him into a different world.

“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.”

For now, Brughmans will remain Genk’s No.1, with the Belgian side’s manager having assured Liverpool that their new signing will be carefully managed and protected this season. The plan is simple: play, grow, harden, then report for duty at Anfield next summer.

By then, Liverpool’s goalkeeping landscape could look very different. Alisson Becker is now in the final year of his contract, while Giorgi Mamardashvili has also been linked with a move away. The long-term succession puzzle is already being pieced together at Anfield, and Brughmans is clearly a central part of that thinking.

He is not about to reveal the blueprint.

“Of course, I can't fully reveal Liverpool's plan for me here,” he said, laughing. “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.”

Three days in a dream. A lifetime target laid out in a single sentence. The next phase of Liverpool’s goalkeeping future is already playing out in Belgium, one clean sheet at a time.