Ipswich, July 28 (IANS) Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen has joined the Premier League club Ipswich Town from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Netherlands player has penned a four-year contract with the club and will remain at Portman Road till 2030.
The 26-year-old has previously spent time in England with Brighton & Hove Albion, having also played top-level football in the Netherlands with Ajax and Vitesse Arnhem, as well as Austria with Sturm Graz.
He has played Champions League group stage football in each of the last two seasons and has been capped up to U21 level with the Netherlands, while also receiving a senior call-up earlier in his career. He becomes Town’s sixth new arrival of the summer.
Expressing gratitude after joining the club, Kjell said, “This is a very proud moment for me. This is a great opportunity for me to show my qualities and test myself in the best league in the world, so I’m really looking forward to making memories together.
“I’ve had great conversations and everything here has been really positive, so it’s made me very excited to join Ipswich Town. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and can’t wait to meet the fans and get started.”
Born in Emmen in the Netherlands, Kjell began his professional career with his hometown club FC Emmen, before joining Ajax in the summer of 2019. He made a handful of senior appearances during two seasons in Amsterdam and was part of squads which won the Eredivisie title as well as the KNVB Cup.
He moved to England in 2021, signing for Brighton & Hove Albion and making his debut in an FA Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion in January 2022, before spending the remainder of the campaign on loan with Oostende in Belgium.
A season on loan at Vitesse followed before he spent the next two campaigns at Sturm Graz in Austria, helping the club win back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles and featuring in the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in 2024/25.
Kjell’s form earned a permanent move to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium for 2025/26, where he made 43 appearances in all competitions and helped his side beat Anderlecht to win the Belgian Cup.
At international level, having represented the Netherlands at U19 and U21 level, Kjell received a first senior call-up in June 2022, following an injury to Tim Krul.
–IANS
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