Christian Eriksen continues his career at Brentford, the club announces through the official channels. The 29-year-old midfielder has signed a contract until the end of the current season, with an option to extend it until mid-2023. The Dane has been free on a transfer since his contract termination with Internazionale and received several offers, but prefers an adventure in the Premier League.
Eriksen was awaiting a new employer after his contract with Internazionale was terminated with immediate effect in December due to an applied defibrillator. Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest last summer during the European Championship match with Finland (0-1 loss). During his months of rehabilitation, a defibrillator was fitted. However, in Serie A it is forbidden to play with it. Bundesliga and PSV clubs, among others, have expressed their interest in the transfer-free midfielder in recent weeks, but he therefore opts for Brentford.
? Welcome to Brentford, @ChrisEriksen8 ??#BrentfordFC ?? #EriksenJoins pic.twitter.com/O8h5WbdUZ2
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 31, 2022
Eriksen previously played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur between 2013 and 2020, making over 300 appearances for the North London side. At Brentford, the midfielder will encounter many familiar faces. In addition to the Danish coach Thomas Frank, a large number of Eriksen’s compatriots also play at Brentford. With Mads Bidstrup, Mathias Jensen, Christian Nörgaard, Mads Roerslev Rasmussen, Luka Racic, Zanka, Mads Bech Sörensen and Jonas Lössl, the Danish enclave near Brentford is further expanded with Eriksen. Manager Frank’s team is currently fourteenth in the Premier League with 23 points from 23 matches.
“I look forward to working with Christian again,” said Frank, who previously worked with Eriksen on national youth teams. “It’s been a while since I last coached him and a lot has happened since then. Christian was 16 at the time and has become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He won prizes all over Europe and became the star of the Danish national team. We have seized an incredible opportunity to bring a world class player to Brentford. He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months, but has done a lot on his own.”
Over the past week and a half, Eriksen kept his condition up with the Ajax promise team, the club from which he left when he was 21. He now wants to make a lot of minutes at Brentford, as he has still set a clear goal for himself. “I want to play at the World Cup in Qatar,” the 109-time international of Denmark said in an interview at DR1. “I want to play soccer. It’s a goal, a dream. We’ll have to wait and see if I’m called up. But my dream is to return. I’m sure it’s possible, because I don’t feel any different. Physically I am in great shape. Until the World Cup I want to play football and prove that I am at the same level as before.”