Netherlands GK Flekken joins Brentford
Published
With David Raya headed to the exit door, Brentford announced the signing of Netherlands goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Freiburg on Wednesday in a move believed to be worth £11 million.
Flekken, 29, spent the past five seasons at the Bundesliga club. He posted 13 clean sheets this season as Freiburg finished fifth in the table.
He arrives on a four-year deal.
"He's a player with a lot of quality," Bees manager Thomas Frank said. "He's a very good shot-stopper and comfortable with the ball at his feet. His distribution is very impressive."
A native of Kerkrade, Netherlands, Flekken made his senior debut with German side Alemannia Aachen in 2012.
"I'm a ball-playing goalkeeper," Flekken said. "I try to bring calmness into the squad. I'll always try to direct the guys in front of me - I'll help them to help me. If you had told me seven years ago when I was in the third division of Germany that, one day, I would be playing in the Premier League, I would have probably knocked you down."
Internationally, Flekken has been capped 11 times by the Oranje and was a member of their squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The move comes with the belief that incumbent No. 1 Raya will be playing elsewhere next season.
Frank confirmed on Wednesday that the team is open to selling the Spain international after he had refused talks on a new deal.
"We only have one player for sale, that's the one that's been talked about," Frank said. "That's David."
Raya, 27, joined the team in 2019 from Blackburn Rovers. The Bees are believed to be asking for a fee in the neighbourhood of £40 million for his services with the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea attached to the player in the past.