Brentford signing reveals promises made before transfer – ‘Lucrative’ contract too good to turn down

Brentford signing Mark Flekken has revealed the club have promised him he will be their number one goalkeeper next season, even though David Raya is yet to depart.

Flekken has been speaking to De Limburger about his move to Brentford, which is set to be finalised on July 1^st after being completed earlier this month.

Flekken is joining from Bundesliga side Freiburg in a €13m deal, with Brentford moving to secure him early as they plan their squad for next season.

 

The move will be completed in July, although the newspaper says Flekken ‘still has to get his work permit’ before joining up with Thomas Frank’s side on July 11^th.

The belief is that he will join Brentford as a replacement for David Raya, who has been linked with a move away this summer after impressing for the Bees in the Premier League in the last two sea

The Spaniard is yet to depart, though, and one of his major suitors, Tottenham Hotspur, have already secured a new goalkeeper in Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli.

That could cause issues for Flekken, although he insists that he’s been promised a starring role and the ‘lucrative’ contract offer on the table was too good to turn down regardless.

“To further develop myself, I want to work with new people,” he said.

“A different goalkeeper coach also means a different vision and different insights. Brentford showed interest last summer, but I didn’t want to leave Freiburg after one strong season.

 

“Moreover, in London they could not guarantee 100% that I would become number 1. That has now been promised to me. Only afterwards will I know what those words are worth.

“But in recent months, after a transfer fell through in 2022, Brentford’s coach and goalkeeper coach have kept in touch. I regularly received texts and even a video clip with rescues from me.

“Their enthusiasm, the signal they gave that they still wanted me, gave me a warm feeling. And I’m not going to beat around the bush: I’m 30, financially this step is lucrative.”