Brentford have spoken to Christian Eriksen about the possibility of signing the Denmark midfielder. Eriksen had his contract cancelled by Inter Milan last month after being told he could not play in Serie A after being fitted with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – a type of pacemaker.
No such regulation exists in the Premier League, and it is understood a number of clubs are keen to sign him. However, there is no agreement yet. Brentford would hope to have an advantage through their manager – and fellow Dane – Thomas Frank.
The Bees are currently 14th in the Premier League in what is their first top-flight campaign since 1946-47. Eriksen had the pacemaker fitted following his cardiac arrest during Denmark’s match against Finland at Euro 2020 last June.
He won the Italian title with Inter Milan last season but was no longer able to represent the club as players fitted with an (ICD) cannot compete in Serie A. Inter Milan and Eriksen agreed to cancel his contract in December and the player has since started training alone in Denmark.
The 29-year-old is keen to resume his playing career and says it is his “dream” to play for Denmark at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Meanwhile, Brentford’s latest financial results reveal owner Matthew Benham has invested £104.1m into the club. Benham’s input, through loans and equity, have funded the Bees’ rise to the Premier League and a move into their new stadium.
The results, up to 30 June 2021, confirmed a pre-tax loss of £8.5m, though the loss would have been £53.1m without the sale of players including Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa and Said Benrahma’s transfer to West Ham. The west London club estimate Covid-related losses of £2.8m for the 2020-21 season, up from £1m in the previous campaign.
