Nordin Jackers walked into this season expecting to live in the shadow of one star. He now finds himself behind two.
The 29-year-old goalkeeper, once seen as a credible contender to succeed Simon Mignolet, has slipped to third choice at Club Brugge. The arrival of Yann Sommer from Inter already pushed him back in the pecking order, but the latest twist cuts deeper: Ivan Leko has promoted 19-year-old Argus Vanden Driessche to No. 2, leaving Jackers stranded on the fringes.
Decision reported by HLN says everything about how Club Brugge view their future in goal.
Sommer is the marquee name, the experienced international. Vanden Driessche is the project, the highly rated Belgian prospect the club clearly want close to the action. Jackers is now the odd man out.
Sommer’s start in Bruges has been far from flawless. He pulled off important saves at the weekend against Antwerp, but he also carried the blame for the goal Club Brugge conceded. On another day, that kind of error might have reopened the door for an established deputy. Instead, it has underlined the faith the club have in Vanden Driessche, who has leapfrogged Jackers despite the Swiss keeper’s early stumbles.
For Jackers, the message could hardly be clearer. At 29, this is supposed to be his prime. Third-choice goalkeepers do not build careers; they watch others build theirs.
He has shown before that he can handle responsibility. When called upon to replace Mignolet, Jackers delivered solid performances, enough to convince a section of the Club Brugge support that he could realistically have taken the starting role this season. That debate is now over. The hierarchy is fixed: Sommer first, Vanden Driessche next, Jackers waiting for a phone call rather than a chance.
A January move now feels less like an option and more like a necessity. His reputation, built at OH Leuven and reinforced in spells with Club Brugge, should draw interest from around the Belgian Pro League. Several sides in need of a reliable No. 1 or a genuine challenger for the spot will have noticed his work.
The situation is brutal but simple. Club Brugge are betting on a big-name starter and a teenage talent. If Jackers wants to be more than a training-ground goalkeeper, he will have to pack his gloves and go.
