Kjell Scherpen

Kjell Scherpen

Scherpen with Sturm Graz in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Kjell Scherpen [1]
Date of birth	(2000-01-23) 23 January 2000 (age 25)
Place of birth	Emmen, Netherlands
Height	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) [2]
Position	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Union Saint-Gilloise
Number	37
Youth career
2007–2011	VV Emmen [3]
2011–2016	Emmen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2019	Emmen	35	(0)
2019–2021	Jong Ajax	29	(0)
2019–2021	Ajax	2	(0)
2021–2025	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	(0)
2022	→ Oostende (loan)	7	(0)
2022–2023	→ Vitesse (loan)	26	(0)
2023–2024	→ Sturm Graz (loan)	16	(0)
2024–2025	→ Sturm Graz (loan)	30	(0)
2025–	Union Saint-Gilloise	8	(0)
International career
2018	Netherlands U19	7	(0)
2019–2023	Netherlands U21	18	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:40, 18 October 2025 (UTC)

Kjell Scherpen (born 23 January 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Belgian Pro League club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Club career

FC Emmen

Scherpen began his senior career with FC Emmen in the 2016–17 season. ^{[4] [5]}

Ajax

Scherpen in 2019 with Ajax.

In April 2019 it was announced that Scherpen would sign for Ajax in June 2019. ^[6] His 'signing video' involved him writing the words "Ajax is de mooiste club van Nederland" (Ajax is the most beautiful club in the Netherlands) 1,000 times, as he had been a childhood supporter of rival club Feyenoord. ^[7]

Scherpen made his debut for the Ajax senior team on 4 April 2021, as starter Maarten Stekelenburg was injured shortly before kickoff. ^{[8] [9]}

Brighton & Hove Albion

Scherpen was linked with a loan move to Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle, ^[10] but on 16 July 2021, he signed for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion permanently for an undisclosed fee. ^{[11] [12]} He made his debut on 8 January 2022, in a 2–1 (after extra-time) away victory over Championship side West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup third round. ^[13]

On 31 January 2022, Scherpen signed for Oostende of Belgian First Division A on loan for the remainder of the season. ^[14] He moved on loan to Vitesse in August 2022. ^[15]

Scherpen with Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022.

On 6 July 2023, Scherpen signed a season-long loan deal with Austrian Football Bundesliga club Sturm Graz. ^[16]

In December 2023, Scherpen signed a new contract with the club until 2027. ^[17] He returned on loan to Sturm Graz for the 2024–25 season. ^[18]

Royal Union Saint-Gilloise

On 24 July 2025, Scherpen signed for Belgian Pro League club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise for an undisclosed fee. ^[19]

International career

Having represented the Netherlands at under-19 and under-21 youth levels, ^{[20] [21]} Scherpen received his first call-up to the Dutch senior squad in June 2022 to replace the injured Tim Krul. ^[22]

Personal life

When he was 18 years old, his older brother Jorg (20) died after having been in a coma following a sudden cardiac arrest. ^[23]

Career statistics

As of match played 18 October 2025 ^[4]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Emmen	2017–18	Eerste Divisie	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
	2018–19	Eredivisie	34	0	1	0	—		—		35	0
	Total		35	0	1	0	—		—		36	0
Jong Ajax	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	14	0	—		—		—		14	0
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	15	0	—		—		—		15	0
	Total		29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	0
Ajax	2019–20	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
	2020–21	Eredivisie	2	0	1	0	—		1 [c]	0	4	0
	Total		2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
Brighton & Hove Albion	2021–22	Premier League	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2022–23	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2023–24	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2024–25	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Oostende (loan)	2021–22	Belgian Pro League	7	0	—		—		—		7	0
Vitesse (loan)	2022–23	Eredivisie	26	0	0	0	—		—		26	0
Sturm Graz (loan)	2023–24	Austrian Bundesliga	16	0	3	0	—		8 [d]	0	27	0
Sturm Graz (loan)	2024–25	Austrian Bundesliga	30	0	4	0	—		6 [e]	0	40	0
Union Saint-Gilloise	2025–26	Belgian Pro League	8	0	0	0	—		2 [e]	0	10	0
Career total			153	0	10	0	0	0	17	0	180	0

1. Includes KNVB Cup, FA Cup, Austrian Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearance in UEFA Europa League
4. Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Ajax ^[4]

• Eredivisie: 2020–21
• KNVB Cup: 2020–21
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2019

Sturm Graz ^[4]

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2023–24, 2024–25
• Austrian Cup: 2023–24

Individual

• Austrian Bundesliga Goalkeeper of the Season: 2024–25 ^[24]

References

1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
2. Sports+, DH Les (17 March 2022). "Kjell Scherpen, portier d'Ostende, se raconte: "Je ne peux pas juste me reposer sur mes 2,06 m"". DH Les Sports +.
3. Jeuring, Frank (19 April 2019). "Amateurs VV Emmen apetrots op transfer Kjell Scherpen: 'Als jochie stond-ie al goed op de voorvoeten'". Dagblad van het Noorden. NDC. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
4. Kjell Scherpen at Soccerway . Retrieved 2 May 2018.
5. Kjell Scherpen at WorldFootball.net
6. "Kjell Scherpen (FC Emmen) rejoindra l'Ajax Amsterdam cet été" (in French). 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
7. "Ajax transfer news, Kjell Scherpen writing 1000 lines, Edwin van der Sar, Marc Overmars". 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
8. "Verslag | Moeizame zege in Friesland". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 April 2021.
9. AFC Ajax [@AFCAjax] (4 April 2021). "We are forced into an substitution, as an injury to Stekelenburg sees him replaced by Scherpen. #heeaja https://t.co/Fdd8ewIlxw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021– via Twitter.
10. "Doelman Kjell Scherpen op huurbasis naar PEC Zwolle". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2021.
11. Hazlewood, Paul (16 July 2021). "Albion sign keeper Kjell". Brighton & Hove Albion.
12. "Ajax goalkeeper Scherpen joins Brighton". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 July 2021.
13. "West Bromwich Albion 1–2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Neal Maupay hits extra-time winner". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
14. "Kjell Scherpen joins Oostende on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
15. "Brighton goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen joins Vitesse Arnhem on season-long loan". The Independent. 16 August 2022.
16. "Kjell Scherpen joins Sturm Graz on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
17. "Albion keeper signs new deal after season is ended by knee surgery". The Argus. 26 December 2023.
18. "Kjell Scherpen joins Sturm Graz on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
19. "Brighton news: Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen signs for Union Saint-Gilloise". BBC Sport. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
20. "OnsOranje". www.onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
21. "OnsOranje". www.onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
22. "Scherpen gets senior call-up". Brighton & Hove Albion. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
23. "Broer (20) van FC Emmen-doelman Scherpen overleden". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 19 February 2019.
24. "Scherpen and Yalcouye win prestigious Bundesliga awards". www.brightonandhovealbion.com. Retrieved 21 August 2025.