How healthy is Anderlecht? 'Strong foundation despite doubts'
FRIDAY, 27 MARCH 2026, 10:12 - lajoya
OTHER In the series "How healthy is your club?" Het Nieuwsblad, together with sports economist Wim Lagae (KU Leuven), analyses the financial and structural state of Belgian professional clubs. This time Anderlecht is under the microscope. Who holds the reins? The majority of the club is owned by Marc Coucke and business partner Joris Ide, although Ide tends to stay more in the background.
After his departure as chairman at the end of 2025, Wouter Vandenhaute sold his shares to Geert Duyck. Since then Coucke has taken a more active role again. He appointed Michael Verschueren as chairman and brought Kenneth Bornauw back as CEO. According to Wim Lagae, the turbulent years at Anderlecht are over. Supporters may feel differently, but Lagae believes Vandenhaute left a positive legacy: under his leadership revenues grew substantially, with income topping €100 million in each of the past three seasons.
Continue reading below the article
Continue reading Anderlecht also strengthened its brand, placing greater emphasis on the matchday experience. Financially the club worked more efficiently and succeeded in reducing wage costs, which Lagae sees as an important step forward. That saving has a downside, however: with a wage budget about €24 million lower than Club Brugge's, on-pitch performance is naturally more limited. A fourth-place finish therefore matches the club's financial means.
Lagae judges the chances of Anderlecht quickly reclaiming dominance in Belgium to be small. Internal changes weigh on operations and the gap with Club Brugge remains large. A return to the Champions League would be crucial, he argues, as it would bring extra revenue and raise the transfer value of players.
There is still a lot of uncertainty within the club. No replacement has yet been found for technical director Olivier Renard, and coach Besnik Hasi has been dismissed; Jérémy Taravel is in temporary charge. On the sporting side, Anderlecht is clearly investing in its own youth: ten homegrown players are getting minutes, making the club one of the leaders in Belgium on that front. Overall verdict: Anderlecht has seen its income rise in recent years while trimming costs, especially wages. Yet the smaller budget makes it difficult to seriously contend for the title.
The club also invests in youth development, women's football and social projects. Through the "Tous Mauves" initiative Anderlecht specifically targets vulnerable young people in Brussels.
