Former Gunner re-signs for old club after contract expired | OneFootball

Former Gunner Josh Dasilva has re-signed for Brentford, after leaving the club to become a free agent over the summer.

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Brentford FC confirmed on their club website on Thursday that former Arsenal academy prospect Josh Dasilva has signed a new contract with the club.

Dasilva helped Brentford to achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2020/21, but he’s had a very frustrating time with injuries since then.

The former Gunner was limited to just 10 appearances in 2021/22 due to injury, and though he bounced back to play 39 times the following campaign, he then made just five appearances in 2023/24, before sitting out of the 2024/25 season entirely.

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Dasilva’s contract with Brentford then came to an end, and he’s been a free agent since the summer. But the player remained at the club to work on his injury, and following his recovery he’s been handed a new deal.

“I’ve been keen to get this done and had discussions with Phil Giles around it, stressing the importance of Josh to the group,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews said.

“He’s someone that I’ve involved a lot around the next chapter of where we’re going with the club and the steps we need to make.

“Josh is someone who really understands Brentford Football Club and he’s a really intelligent young man who cares about the club – I don’t think we should forget that.

“But, ultimately, we want to get him back on the grass because, if we get him back to the level he was at, he’s going to be a major asset for us.”

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Dasilva’s new contract lasts until the end of the 2025/26 season, with the option of a further year. It’s an understandably short-term contract, considering the midfielder’s injury setbacks, but he’ll hope to prove himself and ultimately earn a longer-term deal.

The 27-year-old joins Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson in the current Brentford squad, with Nelson returning from an illness absence to make the bench against West Ham United earlier this week.

Nelson has only made one Brentford appearance so far, coming off the bench in the League Cup and converting a penalty in the shootout win over Aston Villa.