Storm goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen: Returning feelings

Young parents in particular will probably understand Kjell Scherpen's emotional world in the minutes leading up to the Hartberg game. This is not to say that the attacking goalkeeper's first home game after a long injury, at least not primarily, but rather the special moment with his son, who he carried on his arm as he entered the pitch. “It was his first birthday, he was on the pitch for the first time. It was very emotional; it was a special day where everything was fine,” says the 24-year-old, whose family were sitting in the stadium.

This included the final score of 2-0. Emmanuel Ayew saved the goal in stoppage time after a mistake by the goalkeeper. “My hero,” Sherbin refers to the centre-back, who happened to be in sight at the time of the conversation and who promised him dinner as thanks for the “rescue”: “He gets what he wants. Everything is possible! I was very grateful.

After all, it's not just important for a goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet. Sturm conceded goals regularly in his youth season, including during preparation. So it was important to have zero against Hartberg. “I hope we can do it again like we did last season,” says Scherben, referring to the strong defensive path to the title, in which he himself kept seven clean sheets in 16 Bundesliga matches.

The reason for not adding any games in the spring is known. As early as the fall of 2023, he played for long periods due to a torn cruciate ligament. In the spring, Vitezslav Jaros represented him on his way to the double. However, Scherben's future was secured and another loan deal from Brighton to Graz was agreed. “Then you can stay calm. You know you are in a good place with good people. That feeling of confidence helped me a lot,” confirms Scherben, who returned relatively quickly.

“You usually stay on the road for nine or ten months, and we did it in seven,” he explains proudly. Not everything is “top notch” yet, but with every training session and every game it gets better and better. My body and my knees are in good shape: “And my head is also clean. That’s very important. I don’t think about my knee during the game.”

Sherbin's goal: a brace on the pitch

Since Scherpen was unable to experience the double on the pitch, the goals for the season came naturally. “I was very proud of the team and was part of it in the fall. But of course you want to defend the title and also be on the pitch. “That is of course the goal for this season.” The Dutchman knows that this plan is ambitious, but Sturm again has a very good squad. It is also important that no one starts “flying” after the double. No one has picked up. Everyone has remained normal and continues to work hard.”

However, it remains to be seen what impact participation in the Champions League will have. The goalkeeper sees the top flight as an opportunity to compete with the best: “You can see exactly what level I've reached and what the difference is between the best teams of all time. That's very interesting.” Scherben can't answer whether he would rather make Kylian Mbappé or Erling Haaland desperate. “I don't know if I should want both,” he laughs. “If you play against Real Madrid, City or Bayern, you'll be up against the best players in the world. That's very special.”

This is also the level that Scherben would like to reach in his daily footballing life. His contract with Brighton runs until 2027. “The first goal is to show that I can be important for Brighton. In any case, I want to play at the highest level possible. If not at Brighton, then at another club. However, in order to get closer to this goal, Sturm needs a strong season, which is why it is not important at the moment what happens in a year.

Why should Daniil Khudyakov be a good goalkeeper?

His potential successor at Sturm, Daniil Khudyakov, is already on board. “I don’t see him as a rival,” says Scherben, emphasizing his role as a mentor, and the cooperation with the newcomer is good. “I can make Daniil better and Daniil can make me better. “The same goes for Matteo Benetti and Elias Lorenz,” says Scherben, who describes Khudyakov as “a very calm and good boy” and smiles: “I think he’s a very good talent. If ‘Lucci’ discovers a goalkeeper, he must be a good one.” It was apparently goalkeeper coach Stefan Loch who suggested that Scherben be loaned to Sturm.

After a year in Graz, the 2.06-metre giant was fluent in German during interviews. His favourite word in Austrian? Kaiserschmarrn made the shortlist, but the award went to “Gemma!”, a fitting term for someone who has a lot planned for the season.