Lee Han-beom Loses Starting Spot at Club Brugge
The South Korean midfielder has not started Club Brugge's last three matches, with academy product Jorne Spileers taking his place in the lineup.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Soccer
Lee Han-beom, who joined Club Brugge from Midtjylland for a reported 10.5 million euros, has not started any of the club's last three matches. Jorne Spileers, a product of the club's youth system, has taken his place in the starting lineup.
Why it matters
Lee's move to Belgium carried a fee seven times larger than his earlier transfer from FC Seoul to Midtjylland, making his drop from the starting side a notable development for the club and the player. The shift also highlights the growing role of homegrown talent at Club Brugge.
Lee Han-beom recorded 146 touches and a 95% pass success rate (122/128) with 80% success in both ground and aerial duels in Club Brugge's 3-0 win over Kortrijk. The source does not explain why he has been left out of the lineup since that match.
The players
Lee Han-beom
A South Korean midfielder who previously played for FC Seoul in the K League 1 before moving to Midtjylland and then Club Brugge.
Jorne Spileers
A Belgian player who came through Club Brugge's youth system and has taken over Lee Han-beom's place in the starting lineup.
Club Brugge
A Belgian football club based in Bruges that competes in the Belgian Pro League and the UEFA Champions League.
The details
Lee Han-beom joined Club Brugge from Midtjylland in the summer transfer window for a fee of 10.5 million euros, or about 17.4 billion Korean won. He started and played the full 90 minutes in the 2026-2027 league opener against Kortrijk, earning Man of the Match honors, but has not featured in the club's last three matches, including a 2-1 UEFA Champions League win over Eindhoven.
Timeline
Summer 2026: Lee Han-beom transfers from Midtjylland to Club Brugge.
2026-2027 season opener: Lee starts and plays 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Kortrijk.
November 4, 2026: Lee does not play in Club Brugge's 2-1 Champions League win over Eindhoven.
Squad Trajectory
Club Brugge has long balanced big-money signings with promotion of academy graduates, and Jorne Spileers' rise over Lee Han-beom illustrates how that balance can shift quickly within a single squad. The pattern puts pressure on expensive recruits to earn minutes as the club continues to invest in its youth pipeline.
For fantasy and fan purposes, Lee Han-beom's lack of minutes means he is unlikely to be a reliable starter for Club Brugge until his place is regained. Spileers' starting role gives him a clearer path to regular playing time in the near term.
The takeaway
Squad rotation can change quickly even for high-profile signings, so fans tracking a player's form should watch lineup announcements closely rather than relying on transfer fees as a guide to playing time.
Further reading
For more on the club's latest squad moves, see our Soccer coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 조선일보.
