As the days go by, it looks more and more likely David Raya will leave the Bees and join fellow Londoners, Arsenal. Mark Flekken was signed in May and is set to fill the void left by the Spaniard.
But that isn’t necessarily bad news for Brentford, who have made a savvy new addition of their own.
Who is Mark Flekken?
The Dutchman worked his way up the German football pyramid, starting with Duisberg in 3. Liga winning promotion with 15 clean sheets to his name.
In Bundesliga 2 he kept nine clean sheets as his side claimed a midtable finish.
Bundesliga outfit, Freiburg, came in for the keeper as he became their number one. He kept ten clean sheets as his side qualified for the Europa League and was named in the Bundesliga team of the season.
He kept up this good form moving into the 2022/23 season, with 13 clean sheets in 34 appearances.
This resulted in Thomas Frank’s side picking up the goalkeeper for £11 million and is going to have a starting role for his new team.
How does Flekken compare with Raya?
Raya is one of the most sought after goalkeepers in world football and undoubtably will be a loss for the West London outfit.
Despite this, in Flekken, a very similar player has been found for a bargain price, given the inflation in today’s market.
The Spaniard is famed for his abilities on the ball, allowing his side to play out and built attacks from the back, but compared to his Dutch counterpart there is little difference.
Last season, the Freiburg keeper completed 70% of his passes compared to 64% for Raya. The latter attempted more passes but moving to the GTECH Community Stadium it is likely that Flekken’s numbers will follow suit.
In terms of shot stopping, again, they are similar. A 74% save rate for Flekken compares to 77% in the Premier League for Raya.
This stat does need to be taken with a pinch of salt as the Bees’ man faced just under 50 more shots on target throughout the season.
Do Brentford need another goalkeeper?
With the signing of Flekken, is another keeper needed? No. Not yet at least.
£30 million is a top transfer fee to receive for Raya, especially with a year remaining on his contract, it can not be turned down.
£11 million to replace him with an experienced professional, who like Brentford, has worked his way through the leagues and profiles very well, he is definitely deserving of his chance.
Potentially Frank comes back to the goalkeeper position in January, but for now, they are in safe hands.