Christian Eriksen returns to football with Brentford
Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, who suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest while playing last year, has signed for Brentford.
The 29-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has not played competitively since collapsing at Euro 2020 last summer.
Eriksen, who was subsequently released by Inter Milan, has signed a short-term deal with Brentford until the end of the season.
“We have taken an unbelievable opportunity to bring a world-class player to Brentford,” said Bees manager Thomas Frank, who coached Eriksen with Denmark’s Under-17 team.
“At his best, Christian has the ability to dictate games of football. He can find the right passes and is a goal threat.
“Christian will also bring experience of top level football to the club. I expect him to have an impact in the dressing room and at the training ground.”
Eriksen was fitted with a pacemaker after his on-field collapse, which made him ineligible to remain at Serie A champions Inter, according Italian football rules.
Brentford said the 109-cap international had been through a stringent medical examination to ensure he was ready to return to football.
“I understand that many people will have questions about the process,” said Brentford director of football Phil Giles.
“In order to respect Christian’s medical confidentiality, we won’t be going into any details. Brentford fans can rest assured that we have undertaken significant due diligence to ensure that Christian is in the best possible shape to return to competitive football.
“Now Christian has made the decision to sign for Brentford, all parties want to focus fully on football.
“We are sure that Christian will make a big impact at Brentford and on the Premier League between now and the end of the season.”
Eriksen arrives at Brentford as the west Londoners battle to stay in the top flight, having been promoted last year.
The club has strong connections to Denmark. As well as manager Frank, there are seven Danish players in the first-team squad, while owner Matthew Benham also owns Danish club FC Midtjylland.