Brighton make shrewd contract decision on out of favour £4.5m asset

The Albion goalkeeper was signed from Ajax in the summer of 2021 as a backup to then-first-choice stopper Robert Sanchez but he has made just one appearance for the club since then.

Following his Seagulls debut in an FA Cup win over West Brom in early 2022, the 6ft 8in keeper was loaned out to Oostende in Belgium for the remainder of the season and then spent last term at Vitesse in the Dutch top-flight.

The 23-year-old was impressing a great deal at Sturm Graz in the first half of the season but now a knee ligament injury has ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. Then, days later, he signs a new, long-term deal with Brighton.

On the face of it, Scherpen is a long way off being Albion’s number one. Bart Verbruggen, 21, and Jason Steele, 33, are vying for that spot and the big Dutchman may be behind academy products James Beadle, 19, and Carl Rushworth, 22.

Moreover, Sturm Graz spokesman Stefan Haller says the Austrian club are finalising discussions to extend his loan for the 2024/25 season and this knee surgery is being done to avoid “endangering” a long-term career.

He said, via The Argus: “He [Scherpen] won’t play any more games for us this season. We are currently finalising discussions to extend the loan. The plan is to loan him out again for 2024-25.

"He really wanted to help the team and was able to play without any problems. He could have played next year too, but the operation is being carried out to protect him for the future and not to endanger a long-term career.”

Therefore, Brighton may be looking to get a return on the £4.5 million they spent to sign him in 2021 by extending his contract, or perhaps they do see him as a first-choice keeper contender.

However, after all this time – where Scherpen has spent more time away from the club than at the Sussex outfit – it seems it could be the former. This looks to be smart business again from the club on a player who may never play for them again.