Breaking Down Antwerp's Goalkeepers on Sorare: Expert Insights
Updated: Mar 23
Let's talk about the Belgian side Antwerp. For those who don't know, Antwerp has four goalkeepers under contract.
Jean Butez
26 years (contract till 2024)
Marketvalue: € 3.000.000
Sorare limited price on 21/3/22 7day average: 0.08 eth
Ortwin De Wolf
24 years (contract till 2024 with an option for 1 extra year)
Marketvalue: € 550.000
Sorare limited price on 21/3/22 7day average: 0.017 eth
Davor Matijas
22 years (contract till 2023)
Market value: € 200.000 € (under23 in SO5 till 2024)
Sorare limited price on 18/3/22 7day average: 0.007 eth
Alireza Beiranvand
29 years contract till 2023, on loan to Boavista till summer 2022 with a buy option
Marketvalue: € 1.500.000
No Sorare cards yet
The number 1 goalkeeper this season is Jean Butez, who is playing a very good season. Where there may be been some slight doubts before the current season about who might become number 1, the choice of Butez paid off completely.
Jean Butez played, just like Herve Koffi (Charleroi), for the French side Lille (same as Koffi, not in the 1st team, read our blog post about Koffi). As you might remember from the last note about Charleroi, Lille used to have the same owner as Mouscron. It's over there that the 1st goalkeeper career of Butez also started 5 seasons ago. First on loan from the current French champion, later under contract with Mouscron where he played for almost 3 seasons. Mouscron was never a top team in the league, therefore you can shine easier as a goalie (or mess it up completely) but Butez showed from the beginning great talent and was bought two summers ago by Antwerp.
That summer a lot changed in Antwerp with a new manager and two new goalkeepers fighting for the 1st goalkeeper spot.
Bolat didn't renew his contract and went on a free transfer to AA Gent. We also made a post about the situation at AA Gent, you can read it here. Not De Wolf (was only the winter after that) as you might think but Iranian international goalkeeper A. Beiranvand came from Persepolis, Iran to make a career in Europe. They paid decent money for both goalkeepers so it was up to them and the manager who would win the 1st goalkeeper spot.
Butez ended up playing as the first goalie in the first half of the season until he got seriously injured (out for about 2 months). Truth be told is that his performance was not that great at the time and he couldn't continue his performances from the year before with Mouscron. During his injury, Antwerp decided to bring in another goalkeeper to bring competition to Beiranvand, as they didn't see Matijas ready yet to bring that kind of competition.
Ortwin De Wolf came over from Eupen, where he just lost his spot for over a month as 1st gk in Eupen (to Defourny, not Nurudeen, read the blogpost about Eupen). Beiranvand performed very inconsistently, so De Wolf got and gained that spot, which he kept for a couple of months, even though Butez was already back from injury for a while.
But also De Wolf couldn't perform every week on the same level and by the end of the season Butez won over his spot again. Important to know is that at that moment there was already another manager at Antwerp, who actually let play 3 different goalies in 4 months' time. If that coach would have stayed (which he didn't) might have seemed
logical that Butez was the number 1 again this season, but they brought in a new manager last summer, Brian Priske. At that moment the best guess would have been that Butez was number 1, but with managers, you don't know, as De Wolf is a good goalie with experience in the Jupiler Pro League with two teams, despite his age.
You should check the prices from Butez and De Wolf the beginning of july 2021 on Soraredata, to see that you could have picked up very cheap Rare Butez if you were sure he would be number 1'.
This season Butez performs on a very high level and is by far among the best goalies in Belgium. There was never a doubt during the season that he could lose his spot.
Butez is French, and although there are no specific rumors from clubs, there are rumors that clubs from the ligue1 might show interest next summer. I wouldn't expect topside teams but there will be clubs who can use his services as a good french number 1 goalie. Contract till 24, if Antwerp wants to make decent money out of selling
him it can be this summer. It will also depend if Antwerp will play in Europe next season + who will become the new manager (almost certain that the current manager will not stay next season).
And don't forget the news from today 21/3, Marc Overmars is the new TD in Antwerp. Who knows what he has in mind next summer and how he wants the change the current squad. I would expect a lot of changes and the goalkeeper can be one of them.
De Wolf is a good goalie for Belgian standards, for sure there will be teams from the JPL who will ask for his services the next season, not certain Antwerp will let him go off course. (wouldn't be surprised if he will be loaned out next season with a contract till 2024. One season on loan and then try to sell him or if he is performing well with another team, renew his contract then and bring him in as first gk, but that's just a lot of speculation from my side. Beiranvand might be coming back as well from being on loan in Boavista (they have a buy option, but he is not the 1st gk there). Matijas played one match for Antwerp, but it doesn't look like he will get any chance soon with all those gk in the squad.
As you can see a lot of uncertainties towards next season.