Kjell Scherpen is a 23-year-old young goalkeeping prospect with an extremely bright future ahead, writes Nick Park.

He has already been capped at under-21 level by the Dutch national team.

This July, however, Albion and SK Sturm Graz struck a deal, seeing him venture out on a season-long loan at the Austrian club.

The Seagulls technical director David Weir expressed on the official website: "Kjell had a good loan with Vitesse last season and it’s important for his development that he carries on playing regularly.

"This is a great opportunity for him to not only do that, but there is the prospect of European football with Sturm Graz in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League."

Sturm Graz handed Scherpen the No.1 jersey. Maybe this is a strong indication that he is very much in his manager Christian Izler’s plans.

So far he is the only individual at the club to have played every single minute in competitive encounters.

Sturm had not lost in the Austrian Bundesliga League until this weekend, when they went down 1-0 to Austria Wien.

Scherpen suffered defeat in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven and Sporting,

He was commended for producing an excellent save and turning the ball past the post against the Lisbon side.

He also parried a header prior to denying the follow-up strike by two separate individuals.

It could be argued that Sturm Graz’s followers are captivated by Scherpen’s presence.

He has made a massive impact on Austrian football and has rewritten their history books.

For one, he is the tallest player to ever appear in the Austrian Bundesliga League.

He is also the first goalkeeper to not concede a goal in 412 minutes of playing time. No other person in his position has matched this accolade.

Scherpen stated on the club's official website: "I’m doing really well. I feel very comfortable at Sturm Graz and in the team and the entire club helped me a lot to make me feel at home straight away – a big thank you to everyone involved.

"The boys are a really great group and I’m happy that I can play in a team like that."

He had to adjust to playing rather quickly and said: ‘I didn’t really have time to get used to it.

"The fact that the club supported me so much – for example finding an apartment quickly – helped me a lot to concentrate on sport.

"Of course it was stressful with all the games coming my way, but for the most part they went very well.

"As a player you want to play and that’s what I do – that’s the most important thing for me.

"I am sure that with a great team performance and our excellent audience behind us we can achieve good results…..I hope that we can survive the winter in the European Cup and nationally we want to play for titles for as long as possible."