Players from the Belgian Pro League have made several big money moves in recent seasons.
Charles De Ketelaere, Igor Thiago and Victor Boniface are three of examples in the last few seasons alone.
With that in mind, we asked Belgian football expert Scott Coyle to share some insight into the quality of the league and how the new Pro League season is shaping up.
Who are the players and managers to watch out for across the Pro League this season?
In terms of managers, or T1s *(principal trainer) as they are called in Belgium, there has been a lot of change coming into this season. Mark Van Bommel left Antwerp at the end of last season and was replaced by Jonas De Roeck, who is highly regarded and has a reputation for working with younger players and developing them. Antwerp have pivoted their footballing operations over the last few months to move away from big spending and wages to a more long-term sustainable model, where they look to develop more of their own talent and reinvest via a strong player trading model. This shift has been underlined by the appointment of Jean Kindermans as Head of Academy Operations. Kindermans is very well known in Belgium for heading up Anderlecht’s famed Neerpede academy between 2005 and 2024, where he was responsible for discovering some major names, including Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans, among others.
Can De Roeck keep Antwerp competing at the highest level as they adjust their model? Other T1s to keep an eye on this season include Thorsten Fink, now at Genk after a tremendously positive season last year at Sint-Truiden. He now has an opportunity at a bigger club, which will be expected to compete for a PO1 place (Champions Playoff). Additionally, can Sebastien Pocognoli, a newly installed and somewhat surprising appointment at Union Saint-Gilloise, maintain the Brussels club’s recent record of phenomenal consistency and title challenges over the last three years? Meanwhile, former Liverpool and Feyenoord legend Dirk Kuyt faces a big challenge at Beerschot, where he will attempt to keep the team in the Pro League after their promotion last season. Lastly, can Anderlecht’s Brian Riemer mount another title challenge this season with the historical Belgian giants after a period in which the club has not won anything for seven years?
In terms of players, defending Champions Club brugge are stacked with talent, but some players worth highlighting include 23 year old Left back Maxim De Cuyper, who is already attracting a lot of interest and 22 year old greek midfielder Christos Tzolis has already shown a lot of early season promise. Thorsten Fink’s Genk are also overflowing with quality including 20 year old Moroccan attacking Midfielder Bilal El Khannous, who could leave the club before the windown closes and former favourites at Sint Truiden under Fink who made the move with him, Jarne Steuckers and Matte Smets and how will young scottish Midfielder Ewen Henderson fair at newly promoted Beerschot after completing his permanent move from Hibernian, after spending last season on loan in Belgium at Oostende.
How would you describe football in the Pro league in recent seasons?
The Pro League is a highly competitive domestic league, currently considered the 8th best in Europe. It is well known for being highly physical, with a significant number of duels, high turnovers, and transitions in its play. Because of this, it is an excellent environment both physically and tactically to develop players. The academies in Belgium are generally very strong and produce a significant amount of talent for clubs. Belgium’s overall place in the footballing ecosystem ensures that young players can and do get opportunities to play regularly for senior sides. The pathways for player development are open and functioning well at most clubs.
There has been consistently increasing attention on the Belgian game from outside the country in recent years, and this could further ramp up over the next year as a new TV deal is looming, which has long-term implications for the game. There has also been a lot of recent debate about the famously and perhaps somewhat controversial league structure in place, with its three separate playoff groups and points halving, which causes a lot of confusion for outsiders!
How do you think Pro League sides will fair in European competition this season?
Belgium is hoping and likely to have four teams competing in European group stages this season (Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Gent, and Cercle Brugge). In recent years, the record has generally been very good, and the country has seen a positive coefficient return, which is the most important thing. Belgium continues to punch above its weight. Last season, Club Brugge narrowly missed out on a place in the Europa Conference League final, which would have been the first time a Belgian side reached a major European final since Antwerp made it to the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1993.
What are your predictions for the season ahead in the Pro League?
Despite their worst start to a Pro League season in 60 years, it is difficult to see past Club Brugge as heavy favorites to win their 20th title. The notorious points halving in the championship playoffs always favors the bigger clubs. The question is, who will be the main title challengers this season? Genk, Gent, and Anderlecht, who have not won the title since 2017, will all be hoping to push Club Brugge off their pedestal.
There are question marks around whether Union Saint-Gilloise can continue to punch above their weight and mount a fourth successive serious title challenge after a summer of significant changes at the Brussels club. USG has been the most consistent club in Belgium over the last three years, so it would be foolhardy to rule them out!
I can also predict a lot of sackings. Belgian football is always very quick to react to downturns, often very dramatically, so buckle in for the ride, as there are a number of T1s already under real early-season pressure!
Scott is an independent freelance Belgian football consultant. He is a regular contributor to The Belgian Football Podcast – The No1 english language podcast covering Belgian football on a weekly basis, (@belgianpodcast) his work has also appeared on Sky Sports, BBC and wide range of independent football media and podcasts.
You can find him on social media @scott_coyne @coyneconsultant and via his website.
Featured image: “Belgian flag, Jubelpark, Brussels” by R/DV/RS is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Callum McFadden 