In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, KV Mechelen head coach Besnik Hasi has stated that neither goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke or defender/midfielder Jordi Vanlerberghe will be sold in January. Both players are on contracts which will expire at the end of the season, with no indication as to whether or not they will sign new deals at the club. However, given that the side are sitting perilously close to the relegation zone, the stance of Hasi is understandable.
In many ways, selling both could see Mechelen face a serious battle to remain in the top flight. However, given that the side is not awash with funds to sign new players anyway, both could potentially be used to raise some funds to strengthen a strike force that has been weak all season. The problem is, given that both are on expiring contracts, there is a very small chance that Mechelen can demand full value for both.
Coucke especially has been previously linked with moves away. The 25-year-old had a strong season two years ago, with plenty of interest in him from Belgium and beyond. However, the club and player decided to remain together and since then his stock has somewhat declined. This season he has kept six clean sheets and saved two of the three penalties he has faced. overall, the Belgian goalkeeper has played 106 times for Mechelen since joining from Genk in 2020.
27-year-old Vanlerberghe has played all 18 matches for the side this season, a nice return after an injury hit 2022/2023 season. He has had two spells with the club, the first between 2012 and 2017, before joining Club Brugge. He only managed eight games for the side before being loaned to Oostende and then back to Mechelen, who he re-joined in 2020. The defender, who can also play as a midfielder, has played 180 times for the side, scoring 13 goals.
