Anderlecht is working on a new coach, but the future of young talent Nathan De Cat is a topic. The midfielder is already a regular starter and is becoming more of a flagship for the new Anderlecht. De Cat had already made an impression in the youth team when he first made his debut in the A-team in the spring of 2025. In the Champions’ Play-Offs, he regularly received minutes and even scored his first goal in the big boys. That was a clear warning: Anderlecht had another talent that wouldn't stay in the waiting room. The Cat grew into a regular starter and became more of a flagship for the new Anderlecht. In March, he even made his debut as a Red Devil, at an age where most players are still weighed on potential. The rise is also not unnoticed outside of Belgium. The French sports newspaper L’Equipe included De Cat in a list of the best players in the world born in 2008 and this calendar year 18. In that top 30, the Anderlecht midfielder received an impressive third place. Only Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool FC and Lennart Karl of Bayern Munich are placed higher. About De Cat, it sounds particularly flattering: “De Cat is a precocious talent that stands out with his calmness and tactical intelligence. He combines this with an already impressive physical strength.” Such words weigh more when they come from an international ranking, especially for a player who is just starting his adult career. The comparison with earlier Anderlecht products makes the story even bigger. The expectations around De Cat would even be higher than those of young players who broke through early at Paars-Wit, such as Youri Tielemans and Yari Verschaeren. That's no small feat in a club where development is part of the identity. For Anderlecht, that attention comes at a time when the timing is particularly sharp. De Cat is in his last contract year and around such profiles, the market is rarely calm. Especially not when the label of young international is combined with interest from the biggest clubs on the continent. That doesn't mean a transfer is already set. But it makes the context clear: Anderlecht is sitting with a player who has become sportingly quickly important and at the same time has a file that is being followed with growing attention outside of Belgium. In modern top football terms, that's a dangerous combination. De Cat embodies exactly what Anderlecht wants to be: a club that develops talent, dares to bring it and gives weight to its own youth from Neerpede again. Only comes with such breakthroughs always the same question: what's next?