KEY POINTS

  • Christian Eriksen has joined Brentford on a six-month loan
  • Eriksen previously played in the Premier League with Spurs
  • His contract with Brentford has an option to extend until June 2023

Christian Eriksen, just seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest on the soccer field, was signed by Brentford FC Monday, which is the January transfer window’s deadline day.

Eriksen passed Brentford’s medical assessment and signed a deal until the end of the 2021-22 season, the Premier League club confirmed.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has closely worked with Eriksen in the past. Christian played for Denmark’s Under-17 side when Frank was the coach of that group. He progressed quickly through the international ranks, making his full debut for Denmark aged 18.

"I am looking forward to working with Christian again. It has been a while since I last coached him, and a lot has happened since then. Christian was 16 at the time and has become one of the best midfield players to appear in the Premier League. He has also won trophies all over Europe and become the star of the Danish national team," Frank said after the signing of Eriksen, according to Brentford’s official release.

Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s Euro 2020 showdown with Finland. He received life-saving CPR on the pitch and has made a full recovery. However, he has since been fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), which monitors his heart and acts as a pacemaker, if needed.

A rule in Italian soccer prohibits the use of an ICD and as a result, Eriksen and Inter Milan were forced to mutually terminate the Danish star’s contract in December 2021.

"We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a World Class player to Brentford. He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months but has done a lot of work on his own. He is fit but we will need to get him to match fit and I am looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back towards his highest level," Brentford's boss added in the same interview.

The 29-year-old Eriksen, who has not played since his medical condition deteriorated during the Euros, was desperate to return to top soccer. He wanted to have a go at the FIFA World Cup, which is due to take place later this year in Qatar.

Denmark's players gather as medics treat midfielder Christian Eriksen during the Euro 2020 match against Finland
Denmark's players gather as medics treat midfielder Christian Eriksen during the Euro 2020 match against Finland POOL / WOLFGANG RATTAY

Italian soccer journalist with a credible record in the transfer market, Fabrizio Romano, termed Eriksen’s news as the “best” of the 2022 January market. He also claimed that Eriksen’s contract includes an option to extend until June 2023.

"He wanted to play football again and it’s now signed. Best news of the window so far," Romano tweeted.

Former Inter Milan midfielder, Eriksen, who started off his senior career at Dutch club Ajax, played for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The Denmark midfielder spent seven years at Spurs and was a part of the side that lost the 2018-19 Champions League final to Liverpool FC in Madrid.

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