Anderlecht ended the season with silverware, but this week was not about celebration. It was about the machinery behind the scenes grinding into gear, and the creaks are audible.
Saliba Books a Ticket to the World Stage
Nathan Saliba's call-up to Canada's squad for the 2026 World Cup is an unqualified positive (3). The Anderlecht midfielder will walk into a global spotlight, and the club receives a development dividend that no marketing department can manufacture. Saliba becomes a walking reference point for every young prospect weighing Anderlecht against competing academies.
The timing is useful. Antoine Sibierski, the new sporting director, presented his transfer plans to the board on Thursday with a budget of up to €20 million (11). Having a current first-team player at a World Cup strengthens his hand, both in recruitment pitches and in retention conversations.
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Cvetkovic, Frankfurt, and the Belgian Reality
But the retention battle is already underway. Eintracht Frankfurt are readying a €12 million bid for 19-year-old striker Mihajlo Cvetkovic (4). The numbers are real, not speculative. Frankfurt's interest has been reported with sufficient concreteness that Anderlecht must now decide: sell and reinvest, or hold firm and bet on Cvetkovic's valuation climbing further.
The €20 million budget Sibierski outlined suggests the club has a plan, but the question is whether that plan includes Cvetkovic or accounts for his departure. Belgian clubs operate in a seller's market. The smart ones sell on their terms, not when a Bundesliga club forces the conversation.
The Coaching Carousel Spins Toward Brussels
Óscar García's name surfaced twice this week as a serious head coach candidate for Anderlecht (10) (14). The Ajax interim manager is in a strange position: he is steering the Amsterdam club through a transition while being openly linked with a move to Brussels. Anderlecht also reportedly want Jérémy Taravel back as assistant coach (14), which points to a broader reshuffle of the technical staff, not merely a like-for-like replacement.
García would be a statement appointment. He is experienced, carries European pedigree, and would not come cheap. The fact his name is being floated now, while Ajax have not resolved their own permanent manager situation, suggests Anderlecht are prepared to move decisively.
The Lukaku Sentiment
Romelu Lukaku spoke publicly this week about wanting to finish his career at Anderlecht, citing Toby Alderweireld's return to Antwerp as inspiration (18). It is the kind of quote that warms a fan's heart and complicates a sporting director's spreadsheet. Lukaku's son Romeo already plays in Anderlecht's U8 side (7), so the connection is deeper than nostalgia.
Whether a deal is viable is another matter. But in a summer where the club is defining its ambition with real money, €20 million, a new manager, potential big sales, romanticism has a habit of finding its way into boardroom calculations.
Looking Ahead
The Sibierski presentation on Thursday was the starting gun. The next week should clarify whether Anderlecht are buying, selling, or doing both at once. The García situation will escalate quickly: Ajax cannot leave their interim coach in limbo indefinitely, and Anderlecht cannot afford to wait on someone else's decision. And if Cvetkovic's agents are fielding calls from Frankfurt, the clock is already ticking on that negotiation.
This is not a club coasting on cup success. It is a club laying foundations, and the concrete hasn't set yet.
