Profile
Bart Verbruggen is Brighton’s first choice goalkeeper and sits in the sweet spot of the FPL market at £4.5m. He started the season at £4.5m and has not moved, which matters because managers are getting a nailed Premier League goalkeeper without any price inflation. With 3150 minutes played, his role has been stable for most of the campaign, and that security is often the first box to tick when assessing budget keepers.
As a goalkeeper for a Brighton side that can dominate possession but also allow chances, Verbruggen offers a mixed profile. He is not a premium set and forget option, but he does have enough save and clean sheet potential to stay relevant in rotations and wildcard discussions. His current availability status is a, so there are no listed fitness issues in the game at the time of writing.
This-season output
Verbruggen has delivered 120 total points, which is a solid return for a £4.5m goalkeeper. His 3.4 points per game is respectable rather than elite, but his recent trend is a little more encouraging, with a 4.8 form over the last five matches. That suggests Brighton’s keeper slot is at least offering playable value in the short term.
In raw output, he has recorded 9 clean sheets, 6 bonus points, and a BPS of 576. As expected for a goalkeeper, he has 0 goals and 0 assists, so the route to points is straightforward, saves, clean sheets, and the occasional bonus haul. His ICT Index of 88.7 is not eye catching in an absolute sense, but for a goalkeeper it helps underline some baseline involvement and enough action to stay in the bonus conversation when Brighton shut opponents out.
The key takeaway is that Verbruggen’s season has been built on accumulation. He has not produced explosive goalkeeper numbers, but 120 points at his price is useful, especially for managers who value minute security and a stable budget structure.
Ownership and price journey
Verbruggen is currently selected by 9.5% of managers, so he is not a niche punt, but he is also far from template overload. That ownership level puts him in the category of viable mid owned keeper, relevant enough to matter, but not so popular that going against him feels dangerous.
The transfer market tells a stronger story. This gameweek he has seen +65,811 transfers in against just -12,774 transfers out. That is a very healthy positive swing and suggests managers are actively targeting Brighton’s fixtures and his value price point. Despite that demand, his cost remains £4.5m, with a +0.0m change from his starting price. For late season buyers, that is ideal. There is no need to pay a premium for the bandwagon.
Upcoming outlook
Verbruggen’s next three fixtures are good enough to put him firmly on the goalkeeper shortlist. In GW36, Brighton are at home to Wolves, with an expected points projection of 5.08. That is his standout fixture in the run and the clearest opportunity for another clean sheet return. In GW37, Brighton travel away to Leeds, where his projected return is 4.06 xP. In GW38, he finishes at home to Manchester United, with 3.73 xP.
Those projections are useful because they show a steady floor rather than one huge spike followed by unusable games. A keeper projected above 5.0 xP in one week and above 4.0 xP in the next is clearly in play, especially for managers still rotating goalkeepers or using a late wildcard.
Captaincy, however, is a different conversation. Goalkeepers are almost never serious captaincy options in standard gameweeks, and Verbruggen is no exception. Even with the appealing GW36 home fixture and 5.08 xP, he is an own for value and stability, not a realistic armband candidate.
Verdict
Own. Verbruggen looks like a strong budget goalkeeper pick for the run in. The combination of £4.5m pricing, 120 points, 9 clean sheets, 3150 minutes, and a recent 4.8 form gives him a credible profile, and the upcoming fixtures are supportive. The sharp transfer momentum, +65,811 in this week, also reflects that managers see the same value.
If you already own a premium keeper with excellent fixtures, there is no urgent need to force the move. But for anyone shopping in the budget bracket, Verbruggen is more than a watchlist name. He is a practical buy with immediate usability in GW36 and decent follow up potential after that.