Dutch goalkeeper Mark Flekken appears to be on the verge of joining Premier League club Brentford, as reports from Germany suggest that a verbal agreement has been reached between the player and the Bees. Following a couple of years of interest from Brentford, Flekken is said to be ready to commit his future to the London-based club.
Verbal Agreement Reached
According to Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg, Mark Flekken has reached a verbal agreement to join Brentford. This development comes after the Bees had expressed their interest in signing the goalkeeper for the past two years. The journalist claims that Flekken is expected to sign a contract with Brentford in the following days, securing his commitment to the club until 2028.
Smooth Negotiations
Negotiating a deal with Flekken’s current club, SC Freiburg, reportedly posed no problems for Brentford. The Bees are now only required to trigger the player’s €13 million release clause, eliminating the need for prolonged discussions. Plettenberg emphasizes that the transfer is almost finalized, indicating that the official announcement by Brentford is imminent once Flekken puts pen to paper.
Replacement for David Raya
The pursuit of Mark Flekken stems from Brentford’s need to secure a reliable replacement for goalkeeper David Raya, who has shown uncertainty regarding a contract renewal. The German shot-stopper is viewed as an ideal solution to fill the void left by Raya’s potential departure. With Flekken’s impending arrival, Brentford can now approach Raya’s contract situation with greater confidence, knowing that they have a viable alternative in the goalkeeper position.
Mark Flekken – a brief insight…
The Dutch international has been among the top of multiple goalkeeping stats over the past couple of years. Last season, Flekken ranked percentile in save percentage with saving 82% of shots at his goal. He is very well equipped to play with his legs as much as with his hands. There were comparisons with Bayern & Germany great Manuel Neuer which suggests the potential he has.
So, while writing this piece – I was going though FBref to look at the stats that Mark Flekken boasts & something exciting came up. When you run the stats and compare similar profiles to David Raya over the past year… who pops up? –Mark Flekken. Co-incidence? Rather not considering how deeply Brentford rely on Data science in formation of their squad. In Mark they make sure, David Raya is replaced though team dynamics doesn’t change at all.
Conclusion
It seems that Brentford’s search for a new goalkeeper is reaching a positive conclusion with the expected signing of Mark Flekken from SC Freiburg. The verbal agreement between the player and the club indicates a strong desire from both parties to finalize the deal. With negotiations with Freiburg running smoothly and the release clause ready to be triggered, Brentford fans can eagerly anticipate the official announcement of Flekken’s arrival, bolstering the team’s goalkeeping options for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
