Bees buzzing after signing Jordan Henderson

Brentford are concerned that they have lost experience in their squad with the loss of Coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham, club captain, Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, plus the possible sale of Bryan Mbeumo. Highly rated goalkeeper, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee have also left. This coming season is likely to be a tough challenge for […]

Brentford are concerned that they have lost experience in their squad with the loss of Coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham, club captain, Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, plus the possible sale of Bryan Mbeumo. Highly rated goalkeeper, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee have also left.

This coming season is likely to be a tough challenge for rookie Coach Keith Andrews, who takes over from Thomas Frank after being promoted from set-piece coach.

Those are just some of the reasons the Bees have signed ex-Liverpool and Ajax skipper, Jordan Henderson, who at 35 years-of-age is still performing at the top level, incredibly fit and brings a wealth of experience. Hendo can replace Norgaard in the centre of midfield, giving the team a solid base from which to work.

He will join his old Liverpool teammate goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher.

 

Arsenal want more incoming players

Mikel Arteta says he is pleased with Arsenal’s recent signings – Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard – but he pointed out on Monday that he expected another three players to join his squad.

Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, who played no part in Chelsea’s Club World Cup win, has an agreement with his club to leave and underwent a medical on Monday at the Emirates.

I have talked to many Arsenal fans this week and the majority are questioning why the club is buying Madueke. He is a good player, but the Gunners have Bukayo Saka, who is a definite starter every week, but of course, he frequently gets injured. Madueke has a reputation of not wanting to sit on the bench as a number two. Chelsea usually played Jadon Sancho in front of him, which is one of the reasons he was so dissatisfied with his role at Stamford Bridge, and Enzo Maresca didn’t want Sancho either.

On the brighter side, Viktor Gyokeres’ difficulties with Primera Liga club, Sporting CP seem to have been resolved; and he says there has been a valuable breakthrough in negotiations. Christian Mosquera arrived at the Emirates Stadium after he rejected two new contract offers from Valencia. He too underwent a medical on Tuesday.

 

Kudus chooses shirt number

Watching Tottenham’s new signing, Mohammed Kudus meeting his new teammates and taking his first training session on Tuesday gave us an excellent opportunity to see how he is working with new coach, Thomas Frank. The ex-Brentford boss spent much of the session with Kudus in preparation for his own first game in charge against Reading on Saturday.

Playing in a rondo, Kudos did well with Djed Spence, making crisp, short passes for other players to chase. Earlier in the gym, Kudos worked with Tottenham’s longest serving player, Ben Davies, who was giving the new man lots of information about how the club works.

We also got a chance to see the first team individual development coach, Cameron Campbell, who has been brought in from RB Leipzig, where he was head of player development; and this is very much a Thomas Frank appointment. Frank believes that improving players is vital to success; and whereas many coaches are yet to exploit this form of progress, for Frank, it is a priority.

It came as no surprise when Tottenham signing, Mohammed Kudus chose the No20 shirt. It is the number he wears for his native Ghana national team and previously wore at Ajax.

 

Newcastle officials fly to Frankfurt for Hugo Ekitike

In a dramatic move, officials from Newcastle, including head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, flew out to Germany and met with Eintracht Frankfurt representatives to discuss a possible deal for 23-year-old Hugo Ekitike. Newcastle’s big problem is the current financial ruling, and the striker has an £86 million release clause. There is also the matter of personal terms, and his agent is known to be challenging to deal with. Further terms were discussed during Newcastle’s training camp in the Alps this week.

The Magpies are anxious to make another big signing after Forest’s Anthony Elanga moved to the northeast. They want to signal their intention of contesting the Premier League title next season with the strongest possible squad.

 

Garnacho on Chelsea’s radar

News from inside Chelsea headquarters are very much centred around the impact Joao Pedro can have this coming season after he scored when the Blues defeated Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup.

Chelsea had been skirting around the possibility of signing Manchester United forward, Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine international has been told to find another club; and Coach Ruben Amorim says he will play no part in his plans for next season.

Chelsea have already signed their main targets, such as Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap; and earlier this year, deals were completed for Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr.

Everything regarding Garnacho depends on what happens with Chelsea winger, Noni Madueke if he makes a move to Arsenal. Rumours coming out of the Nou Camp in Barcelona report that officials have contacted Garnacho’s representatives. Now, the Spanish giants have failed to lure Nico Williams from Atletico Club, where he has signed a new contact. If Madueke leaves, I am hearing that Chelsea would more likely try to arrange a loan deal with United for Garnacho.

 

Chelsea very confident going into new season

Following their epic Club World Cup win over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea players have been given a three-week holidays before playing Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in a mini tournament at Stamford Bridge on August 8. That is just 9 days before the kickoff to their new season when they face Crystal Palace on the 17th.

The Blues won a total of £72.9 million from the competition, which officials at Chelsea’s headquarters said would be added to their transfer funds in order to further strengthen the squad.

Enzo Maresca is a master tactician who studies every move his opponents are likely to make based on previous performances. It is a mirror of how Pep Guardiola works.                             

 

Forest threaten Spurs with court action

Nottingham Forest have threatened Tottenham with court action for what they believe is an illegal approach for Morgan Gibbs-White. Owner Evangelos Marinakis will not be negotiating with Spurs and has cut off all communications. 

 

Gibbs-White, if he signs, will not be able to wear his favoured No10 shirt he wears at Forest; it is the possession of James Maddison.

 

Gallagher considers Premier League return                                                                       

Following Conor Gallagher’s Chelsea exit after signing a £34 million transfer to Atletico Madrid, Coach Diego Simeone and the club executives are pleased with his performances. That is despite Conor only starting 50 per cent of Atletico’s matches; and it appears that the club wants to overhaul their first team squad and he is not certain of retaining his position in the new set-up.

Newcastle have picked up the info and are considering throwing Conor a lifeline if the right price agreement can be reached. Tottenham have shown interest but that could be difficult for Chelsea fans if he joins one of their London derby rivals.