Eleven talents sign pro contract with purple-white

YOUTH Eleven promising youth players sign a first professional contract with Anderlecht. That is the big news that Marc Coucke announced yesterday morning. "The best youngsters go abroad for 14, 15 years, which is why I am proud of this achievement", says Coucke.


"The eight best players of our U17 have signed a professional contract", Coucke proudly started his press conference. Three other youngsters did that before. They all commit their fate to Anderlecht for two or three years. Coucke's invitation of the press indicates how important he thinks this is.

The following eleven players signed a contract: Jeremy Doku (photo), Mathis Suray, Anouar Ait El Hadj, Lucas Lissens, Halim Timassi, Killian Sardella, Loic Masscho, Chris Kalulika, Yari Verschaeren, Antoine Colassin and Zacarias Antonio.

Timassi and Doku, among others, were very wanted by foreign clubs. Doku was supposed to go to Liverpool, but that does not happen. Timassi was mentioned at Inter Milan.

No Matazo

A striking absende in the list is Eliot Matazo. He is the captain of the national team U16 and is regarded as the greatest talent of his group. In recent months his name has been mentioned at Manchester United and Manchester City. United even used Romelu Lukaku to convince him. Remarkably, Anderlecht also used this strategy. At the press conference, it showed a video in which Lukaku addressed Jeremy Doku and said that staying with Anderlecht was the best chance to become a future superstar.