Genk Belgian Pro League 2025/2026 preview | OneFootball

Overview:

Genk were the league leaders for much of the 2024/2025 season under Thorsten Fink, but ultimately came undone during the play offs. The squad will be under some more pressure this season with European football to contend with. Fink had a great first season in charge, and will hope to build on the success. A few key players are expected to leave in the coming weeks, so replacing these will be key before the end of the transfer window.

Transfers in: Daan Heymans (Charleroi), Tobias Lawal (LASK), Ayumu Yokoyama (Birmingham)

Transfers out: Cedric Nuozzi (Alverca), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al-Qadisah FC), Alfred Caicedo (Cadiz, loan), Tijn Van Ingelgom (KV Mechelen), Thomas Claes (Zulte Waregem),

Key player: Bryan Heynen

Club captain Heynen has been a consistent performer for Genk in recent season. He is one of the more senior players in the Genk squad now and he will need to lead this young team from the front domestically and in Europe. Last year was the first season he failed to score in since 2017/2018, but that is unlikely to continue next season. The 28-year-old will remain a key player for Genk as long as he is with the club.

Young player to watch: Konstantinos Karetsas

The 17-year-old Greek is one that all scouts will know about, and soon most football fans. Karetsas burst onto the Pro League scene with three goals and three assists as Fink trusted him to make 39 appearances for Genk. The teenager is incredibly talented and should see those numbers go up. If he performs in Europe as well as the Pro League, a number of top clubs will be circling next summer, or even as early as January.

Transfer window needs:

Another striker to replace Tolu Arokodare when he leaves, something that Genk expects to happen. Hyun-Gyo Oh certainly seems a capable replacement but after him there aren’t many options, especially as it doesn’t look like the club would want to keep Andi Zeqiri. Finding a new right-back when Zakaria El Ouahdi leaves is another top priority. Genk have been linked with KV Mechelen’s Rafik Belghali, but that feels like a drop off in quality from what El Ouahdi has produced in the past two seasons.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson