Brentford Transfer News: Kristoffer Ajer signs for the Bees in a five-year deal


Brentford Transfer News: Kristoffer Ajer signs for the Bees in a five-year deal

Brentford FC have completed the signing of 23-year old defender Kristoffer Ajer from Scottish club Celtic FC. The defender joined the Premier League’s newest entrants on a five-year long deal for an initial fee of £13.5m which could increase in the future based on his performance at the club.

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The Norway international completed a medical this week and was not included in Celtic’s squad that drew 1-1 against FC Midtjylland in their Champions League qualifier first-leg on Tuesday. The defender had already stated his wish of leaving the Scottish club in June and got his transfer to the Premier League’s newest this summer.

Kristoffer Ajer wanted to leave Celtic in June

Kristoffer Ajer in action for Brentford
Ajer in action for Brentford

Kristoffer Ajer had attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs following his wish to exit the Scottish club including the likes of Newcastle, United, Norwich City and Bayer Leverkusen but ultimately ended up with Brentford. The Bees manager was very impressed with the defender’s performance in the Scottish league and made him a priority this summer.

Visibly, the coach- Thomas Frank was thrilled to have acquired his services ahead of the new season and said, “We wanted to get another central defender in, and Kris was our first choice. We think he fits the position-specific profile perfectly, especially on the ball. Kris is very composed and can find the right passes between the lines. His level when bringing the ball forward is very high.

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“As a defender he has the physicality that you need, and he won his duels when he played in the Scottish league. He can help us in both boxes, with his strength in the air.”

“He is a player at a good age, and we think he come straight in and be ready to perform in the Premier League. But he also fits the way we want to recruit players and work with them. He can develop as a player and both Brentford FC and Kris can move to a higher level in the coming years.”

Ajer had been at Celtic for five years after joining from Norwegian club Start as a teenager. The 23-year-old made 170 appearances at the Scottish club and won the ‘Treble Treble’ between 2018 and 2020. 

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