Kjell Scherpen

Kjell Scherpen
Scherpen with Sturm Graz in 2025
Personal information
Full name Kjell Scherpen[1]
Date of birth (2000-01-23) 23 January 2000
Place of birth Emmen, Netherlands
Height 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)[2]
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Ipswich Town
Number 37
Youth career
2007–2011 VV Emmen[3]
2011–2016 Emmen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Emmen 35 (0)
2019–2021 Jong Ajax 29 (0)
2019–2021 Ajax 2 (0)
2021–2025 Brighton & Hove Albion 0 (0)
2022 → Oostende (loan) 7 (0)
2022–2023 → Vitesse (loan) 26 (0)
2023–2024 → Sturm Graz (loan) 16 (0)
2024–2025 → Sturm Graz (loan) 30 (0)
2025–2026 Union SG 32 (0)
2026– Ipswich Town 1 (0)
International career
2018 Netherlands U19 7 (0)
2019–2023 Netherlands U21 18 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:39, 23 August 2026 (UTC)

Kjell Scherpen (born 23 January 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Ipswich Town.

Club career

Emmen

Scherpen began his senior career with Emmen in the 2016–17 season.[4][5]

Ajax

Scherpen in 2019 with Ajax.

In April 2019, it was announced that Scherpen would sign for Ajax in June 2019.[6] His 'signing video' involved him writing the words "Ajax is de mooiste club van Nederland" (Ajax is the most beautiful club in the Netherlands) 1,000 times, as he had been a childhood supporter of rival club Feyenoord.[7]

Scherpen made his debut for the Ajax senior team on 4 April 2021, as starter Maarten Stekelenburg was injured shortly before kickoff.[8][9]

Brighton & Hove Albion

Scherpen was linked with a loan move to Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle;[10] but, on 16 July 2021, he signed for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion permanently for an undisclosed fee.[11][12] He made his debut on 8 January 2022, in a 2–1 (after extra-time) away victory over Championship side West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup third round.[13]

On 31 January 2022, Scherpen signed for Oostende of Belgian First Division A on loan for the remainder of the season.[14] He moved on loan to Vitesse in August 2022.[15]

Scherpen with Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022.

On 6 July 2023, Scherpen signed a season-long loan deal with Austrian Football Bundesliga club Sturm Graz.[16]

In December 2023, Scherpen signed a new contract with the club until 2027.[17] He returned on loan to Sturm Graz for the 2024–25 season.[18]

Union SG

On 24 July 2025, Scherpen signed for Belgian Pro League club Union SG for an undisclosed fee.[19]

Ipswich Town

In July 2026, he signed for Ipswich Town, on a four-year contract.[20]

International career

Having represented the Netherlands at under-19 and under-21 youth levels,[21][22] Scherpen received his first call-up to the Dutch senior squad in June 2022 to replace the injured Tim Krul.[23]

Personal life

When he was 18 years old, his older brother Jorg (20) died after having been in a coma following a sudden cardiac arrest.[24]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 August 2026[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Emmen 2017–18 Eerste Divisie 1000——10
2018–19 Eredivisie 34010——350
Total 35010——360
Jong Ajax 2019–20 Eerste Divisie 140———140
2020–21 Eerste Divisie 150———150
Total 290000000290
Ajax 2019–20 Eredivisie 0000—0000
2020–21 Eredivisie 2010—1[c]040
Total 2010001040
Brighton & Hove Albion 2021–22 Premier League 001000—10
2022–23 Premier League 000000—00
2023–24 Premier League 000000—00
2024–25 Premier League 000000—00
Total 0010000010
Oostende (loan) 2021–22 Belgian Pro League 70———70
Vitesse (loan) 2022–23 Eredivisie 26000——260
Sturm Graz (loan) 2023–24 Austrian Bundesliga 16030—8[d]0270
Sturm Graz (loan) 2024–25 Austrian Bundesliga 30040—6[e]0400
Union SG 2025–26 Belgian Pro League 29030—8[e]0400
Ipswich Town 2026–27[25] Premier League 1000000010
Career total 1750130002302110
  1. ↑ Includes KNVB Cup, FA Cup, Austrian Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six in UEFA Europa League
  5. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Ajax[4]

Sturm Graz[4]

Union SG

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Sports+, DH Les (17 March 2022). "Kjell Scherpen, portier d'Ostende, se raconte: "Je ne peux pas juste me reposer sur mes 2,06 m"". DH Les Sports +.
  3. ↑ Jeuring, Frank (19 April 2019). "Amateurs VV Emmen apetrots op transfer Kjell Scherpen: 'Als jochie stond-ie al goed op de voorvoeten'". Dagblad van het Noorden. NDC. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kjell Scherpen at Soccerway. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Kjell Scherpen at WorldFootball.net
  6. ↑ "Kjell Scherpen (FC Emmen) rejoindra l'Ajax Amsterdam cet été" (in French). 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  7. ↑ "Ajax transfer news, Kjell Scherpen writing 1000 lines, Edwin van der Sar, Marc Overmars". 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  8. ↑ "Verslag | Moeizame zege in Friesland". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. ↑ AFC Ajax [@AFCAjax] (4 April 2021). "We are forced into an substitution, as an injury to Stekelenburg sees him replaced by Scherpen. #heeaja https://t.co/Fdd8ewIlxw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Doelman Kjell Scherpen op huurbasis naar PEC Zwolle". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Hazlewood, Paul (16 July 2021). "Albion sign keeper Kjell". Brighton & Hove Albion. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Ajax goalkeeper Scherpen joins Brighton". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "West Bromwich Albion 1–2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Neal Maupay hits extra-time winner". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "Kjell Scherpen joins Oostende on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Brighton goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen joins Vitesse Arnhem on season-long loan". The Independent. 16 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Kjell Scherpen joins Sturm Graz on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 6 July 2023. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Albion keeper signs new deal after season is ended by knee surgery". The Argus. 26 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Kjell Scherpen joins Sturm Graz on loan". Brighton & Hove Albion. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "Brighton news: Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen signs for Union Saint-Gilloise". BBC Sport. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  20. ↑ "Ipswich Town news: Kjell Scherpen signs four-year deal". BBC Sport. 28 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "OnsOranje". www.onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  22. ↑ "OnsOranje". www.onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  23. ↑ "Scherpen gets senior call-up". Brighton & Hove Albion. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "Broer (20) van FC Emmen-doelman Scherpen overleden". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 19 February 2019.
  25. ↑ "Games played by Kjell Scherpen in 2026/2027". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Royale Union Saint-Gilloise edge Anderlecht in extra time to win Belgian Cup". flashscore.com. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  27. ↑ "Scherpen and Yalcouye win prestigious Bundesliga awards". www.brightonandhovealbion.com. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
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