Lucca Brughmans on Liverpool Move: Living in a Dream
Lucca Brughmans spent three days in a dream and was back in goal before the week was out.
Liverpool’s new signing, an 18-year-old goalkeeper already drawing glances from Real Madrid, spoke publicly for the first time about his deadline-day switch – and did so with the kind of calm you expect from a veteran, not a teenager with a $41 million (£30m) move on his name.
He has signed for Liverpool, but he is not there. Not yet.
After completing his medical and paperwork on Merseyside last week, Brughmans immediately returned to Belgium on loan to finish the season as Genk’s No.1. On Saturday, he was back between the posts, keeping a clean sheet in a hard-earned draw away at Anderlecht.
The whirlwind barely seems to have touched him.
“I remained very level-headed about it,” Brughmans told reporters, via Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws. “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.”
Three days of fantasy. Then reality snapped back.
“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.”
A huge fee, a grounded teenager
The size of the deal has raised eyebrows. For a teenager who has yet to play a minute in the Premier League, a package that could reach $41m is a serious statement from Liverpool.
Brughmans, though, wants no part in that conversation.
“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 another world, one that can easily swallow a young player whole.
“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.”
The image is striking: a teenager on the brink of the elite game, walking into one of the biggest clubs in the world with his family at his side, then heading straight back to Genk to fight for points in the Belgian league.
Liverpool’s long game in goal
Genk have promised Liverpool they will protect their new asset. Brughmans will see out the season as their first-choice goalkeeper, continuing his development with the security of regular minutes and familiar surroundings.
The timing at Anfield is intriguing. By the time he links up with Liverpool next summer, Alisson Becker could be gone. The Brazilian is now in the final year of his contract, and speculation continues around his future. Giorgi Mamardashvili, another high-profile goalkeeper linked with a move, may also be elsewhere by then.
Liverpool clearly see Brughmans as part of their succession plan, but the teenager is not about to spell it out.
“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 signed and sealed, but it is on pause. The real work, as Brughmans keeps reminding everyone, is back home in Belgium – gloves on, head down, aiming one day for the No.1 shirt at Anfield.
