Belgian Pro League 2026/2027 Preview: Westerlo

Belgian Pro League 2026/2027 Preview: Westerlo Westerlo are entering another season in which they have sold their top scorer for a big fee and have signed a young forward to replace him. Norman Bassette joins on loan from Coventry and Westerlo fans will hope he can fill the gap left by Nacho Ferri, who joined Feyenoord. For those who like to see up and coming young talent, Westerlo are a side full of youth that are given a chance to earn meaningful first team minutes. Transfers in: Philippe Bibout (Gambinos Stars), Cisse Sandre (Club Brugge), Cameron Congreve (Swansea), Lasse Flø (Vejle Boldklub), Ibrahim Fofana (Amiens, loan), Norman Bassette (Coventry, loan), Fabio Ferraro (Dender), David Amegnaglo (Freiburg), Reno Münz (Greuther Fürth), Bill Lathouwers (RWDM) Transfers out: Oskar Annell (Houtvenne, loan), Roman Neustadter (retired), Koen Van Langendonck (Patro Eisden), Bakary Haidara (free), Raf Smekens (free), Bryan Reynolds (Rennes), Emin Bayram (Basaksehir), Josimar Alcocer (Sparta Prague), Arthur Piedfort (Auxerre), Nacho Ferri (Feyenoord), Fernand Goure (Radomiak Radom), Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (Lech Poznan) Key player: Dogucan Haspolat The 26-year-old Haspolat has been a consistent performer for Westerlo since joining from Trabzonspor in 2023. He has amassed over 100 appearances for Westerlo in that time and has been their best player and probably one of the most underrated midfielders in the Belgian Pro League. With such a young squad around him, Haspolat will be key in terms of experience and quality in central areas. Young player to watch: Norman Bassette Bassette struggled to break through at Coventry and now has a chance to earn meaningful first team minutes in the Belgian Pro League. Last time he was here, he scored a handful of goals for KV Mechelen. Westerlo fans will hope he has developed a bit more since then, as they could do with him taking the place of Ferri, who scored 11 goals in 37 games for Westerlo last season. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson