Gent scrapped into Europe last season and are already underway in the Conference League qualifiers. Expectations are higher with Rik De Mil having had a full summer in charge of the club, and once again they have been active in the transfer window. In many ways, not making Europe this season will heap a lot of pressure on the Gent squad to make sure they have a much higher ticket at the end of the season.
Transfers in: Mouhamed Bgom (Grasshoppers), Josue Vergara (Auda), Laszlo Benes (Union Berlin), Lars Cooman (Knokke FC), Christian Burgess (Union St Gilloise)
Transfers out: Michal Skoras (Lens), Samuel Kotto (Stade Reims), Daisuke Yokota (Hannover 96), Nurio Fortuna (Oetro Luanda), Hatim Es-Saoubi (Volos)
Key player: Mathias Delorge
22-year-old Delorge had a decent first season with Gent, but then struggled with injury last season. The 22-year-old is highly rated and Gent will need him to bounce back this season and begin to push on. If he does, he could really help drive them from midfield. Delorge can do the dirty work for the team, as well as help them win the battle of the midfield in a league full of very high quality central midfielders.
Young player to watch: Josué Vergara
Vergara joined Gent after a fantastic 2026 Virsliga season with Auda. In just 20 games for the Latvian side, the teenager from Panama scored 14 goals in 20 games. Belgian sides have done well in recent years buying players from the Baltic leagues, and the 19-year-old striker may well be another rabbit out of the hat job if Gent can help him adapt to the Belgian Pro League.
