“Anthony’s girlfriend wanted him to stop playing football”
“It seems strange, but Anthony Vanden Borre had even more talent than Vincent. But he was special. After a few absences from my individual training sessions – he was 15 and almost in the A team – he admitted to me that he wanted to stop playing football because his girlfriend was anti-football. I was able to convince him to continue. I felt that he was going to be taken advantage of, but he didn’t listen to me. After training, I saw him. handing out envelopes to his so-called friends One day, his father came to find me during my U17 match that I was coaching in Beveren. He didn’t even tell him that he had played the day before with the Espoirs. The fact that he didn’t have a career in the Premier League is the biggest disappointment of my career.
“We could have recovered Mertens for 700,000 euros”
“Dries Mertens should have already left at 14, because some people at the club – I’m not going to name names – thought he was too small. We managed to keep him until he was 16, but then had to leave, he went to Aalst When he was shining at AGOVV with Chadli, we could have picked him up for 700,000 euros, but Anderlecht didn’t want him. was very grateful. A few years ago, his dad came to Neerpede to give a few people – including me – a frame with a jersey autographed by Dries.
“With minibuses, Moussa would have been purple”
“During a winter break, we participated in a futsal tournament in Berchem for minors. One of the opponents was exceptional and he agreed to come and train in Anderlecht. It was Moussa Dembélé, who played in Berchem He looked so much like Anthony Vanden Borre that people asked me why I put Anthony on attack. After two months, his mother came to tell me with tears in her eyes that Moussa would not sign because of the traffic between Antwerp and Brussels. . If we had had a minibus system at that time, Moussa would have played in Anderlecht.“
“Wilhelmsson, my first discovery”
“After a few years, the former general secretary Philippe Collin, to whom I owe a lot, asked me to become a scout for the A team. In November 2001, I remember falling under the spell of Christian Wilhelmsson during a Sweden – Belgium (3-2, Wilhelmsson scores the 3rd goal) in U21. On return to Ghent (2-0 for the Belgians, Zlatan also played with Sweden)Anderlecht sends two other viewers who believe that Wilhelmsson is too short in this match. The following season, Anderlecht played against Stabaek in the European Cup. Constant Vanden Stock said: ‘I need that blonde’. And he came. I saw clearly.”
“No for Messi, yes for Biglia”
“At the U20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005, I saw a truly exceptional little Argentinian left-hander. With the ball at his feet, he outpaced everyone. I quickly inquired and learned that this guy – a certain Lionel Messi – hardly plays for his club, FC Barcelona I immediately called Werner Deraeve, who was head of our youth school, telling me that it was probably impossible, but who knows via a loan? was informed and called me back with the message that Messi would soon start at Barcelona. But I wasn’t at this World Cup for nothing: that’s where I spotted Lucas Biglia.
“Ribéry could come for 500,000 euros”
“In 2004-2005, Anderlecht was already preparing for the post-Zetterberg period and looking for a successor. In Metz, I see a guy with speed, great technique and a perfect mentality. I make the best possible report and I say that you don’t even have to go see him again. It was Franck Ribéry. By chance, I’m sitting next to his agent, who tells me that he only costs 500,000 euros and that he would be interested in Anderlecht. Sporting, we did not seize the opportunity by arguing that he only played in Boulogne a little later. he left Marseille for Bayern for 25 million.”
“Juhasz, despite a suitcase of money and two bodyguards”
“This same year, we are looking for a successor for De Boeck in central defense. I am going to see a 22-year-old guy at MTK Budapest: Roland Juhasz. He is strong in the head but is not the fastest His agent is the same one who transferred Gille Van Binst to Toulouse in 1980. It whispers to me that if Anderlecht wants it, they have to hurry up and indeed, the sporting boss of Roda JC – Nol Hendriks – was there with it. a large suitcase with money and two bodyguards I still managed to bring Juhasz to Anderlecht and. he played there for seven and a half years. “
“The warm-up helped me judge Valgaeren”
“I advised Anderlecht against taking Joos Valgaeren from Celtic, based on what I saw in the warm-up. He kept stretching instead of accelerating. I understood that he was not fit. And in fact, he was often injured in Bruges afterwards. This is the advantage of going to scout on site During the Covid, we had to scout on our screen, via. Wyscout. And since it’s cheaper not to travel, we continued this method after Covid.”
“I was wrong about Vanaken and Fellaini”
“I may give you the impression that I have never made a mistake, but that is not true. I do not know any scout who has never made a mistake. Do you want two examples? Vanaken when he was in Lokeren, and before that Fellaini I thought – and I was not the only one – that they did not have the profile for Anderlecht, because they were never very fast The day after Fellaini left Standard. (in 2008)I remember that Herman Van Holsbeeck opened the door to the office of the scouting department and said to us, not very happy: ‘I would like to inform you that Fellaini left for Everton for 20 million…’ I was also wrong about Kristoffer Olsson. At AEK he was great. Here he failed.”
“Zanka had Kompany’s profile… 15 years ago”
“I know Zanka Jorgensen well. Everyone at Anderlecht – except the Danish bosses – was unanimously against his arrival. But be careful: he was a good player! 15 years ago (when he played in Copenhagen)I recommended him to Sporting. He had the profile of Vincent Kompany. I had also made positive reports of Delaney and Augustinsson before their 20th birthday. But Anderlecht did not insist. Sometimes you need luck. Teodorczyk came when I thought he didn’t have the club’s DNA. He still scored 30 goals in one season, in all competitions. But the next year, it was over…”
“Fredberg didn’t listen to the scouts”
“You can say what you want about Peter Verbeke, I knew how to work with him very well. Scouts were important when he was boss. Peter asked me if we should put 5 million for ZirkzeeI said yes. But when Fredberg took over… He only had one meeting with us in six months, when Mauve TV was in his office. He never listened to the scouts and took players from his Danish network. And Vandenhaute? I often met him in the corridors at Neerpede, he never spoke to me. The DNA of the club is disappearing. Anderlecht can be happy to have Coucke, who saved the club. After having ‘worked’ for six months under Fredberg, I preferred to leave before I was kicked out like all the other former members of the club. I am very happy in Kortrijk, where I work with several ex-Anderlechtois, such as CEO Pieter Eecloo and scouts Rik Van de Velde and Ivica Jarakovic, but also with Claude Verspaille and Gil Vanden Broeck.”
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