Brentford has completed the signing of Mark Flekken from Freiburg in a deal worth £11m. The four-year deal between the West London club and the Dutch international makes the player the Bees’ first summer transfer addition.
“We’re thrilled to have Mark on board,” Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said after completing the signing of Mark Flekken. “He is a very talented player who will improve our group of goalkeepers. He comes to us with a wealth of experience and recently completed two outstanding seasons with Freiburg, who had a standout season in the Bundesliga, finishing fifth and earning a spot in the Europa League. He was a vital member of the group there, and he is now joining us with the intention of improving the team and the group as a whole. He is adept at stopping shots and at playing with the ball in his hands. His dispersion is really strong.”
“I would have likely knocked you down if you had told me seven years ago when I was playing in Germany’s third tier, that one day I would be playing in the Premier League,” Mark Flekken said. “But it’s my next major step and a dream come true. And I hope that both as a team and as a club, we can go forward. I’m a custodian who plays the ball. I constantly attempt to guide the boys in front of me and I’ll help them to help me. I aim to offer peace to the squad. Together, we can do more than we can alone, therefore that’s one of the main contributions I want to make.”
Frank said on Sunday that David Raya, the No. 1 player right now, is the only “keeper” that is for sale. The international player from Spain has one year left on his deal and has rejected many extension offers from the Bees. Last season, Brentford finished in the top half of the Premier League, but on the final day of the season, they were denied a spot in the Europa Conference League..
It is understandable why Brentford would find Flekken appealing. His own trajectory parallels the clubs. In order to compete at the top level of the game, he had to struggle to get here. He entered the Bundesliga at age 25 and became a regular at age 28. Unwanted attention has followed him along the road, most notably when he gained notoriety as ‘the drinking custodian’ at Duisburg and became an online phenomenon for the wrong reasons after conceding a goal while distracted by sipping from his water bottle. He emerged victorious. Flekken now plays for the Netherlands and has played college football in Europe at Freiburg.
“I am aware of my origins. To be seated here, I needed to work. After suffering a serious knee injury in 2014, I was forced to drop down to the third German division in order to find a new team and restart my career,” he added. “After then, it only increased and improved year after year. But when I eventually took over as No. 1 at Freiburg, I had my second major ailment, an elbow problem. After that injury, the first two weeks were incredibly challenging. You doubt your own body’s capacity for this level. But it would indicate that things have worked out rather well.”
Flekken played for Freiburg on a squad that beat the odds by making the German Cup final and qualifying for Europe each of the last two seasons. He has a network of supporters. There have been parental involvement. Flekken will be responsible in the end. Although it won’t be simple, Raya has the skills to fill the gloves at Brentford.
“In order to bring harmony to the game and into my teammates so they have a support system, I try to maintain my composure,” he added. “There is always someone behind them who can stop someone from slipping past. I’m simply that sort of man, that’s all. I don’t like to scream at people when they make mistakes. Just assisting. It accomplishes more than yelling at someone. I do a lot of coaching. I attempt to speak frequently. I tend to actively participate in the build-up play as a custodian. However, I also believe that if I am not required to be active, I will not become involved. I’m merely here in case more help is required as a solution to a problem.”
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