Keith Andrews challenges Brentford stars to step up as Christian Norgaard nears Arsenal move | OneFootball

New Bees boss confident leadership void will be quickly filled as likely next captain emerges

Norgaard is close to sealing a move to Arsenal, with Brentford's director of football, Phil Giles, confirming on Monday that a move is more likely to happen than not.

Andrews admitted it would be difficult to replace the Dane, who has made 196 appearances for Brentford since signing from Fiorentina in 2019, but challenged his players to step up to fill the void left by his exit.

“I think Christian's been a really, really big player for this football club,” he said. “I've seen it first-hand last year, obviously primarily in a set-piece capacity, how he led, his qualities as a footballer, but probably more importantly as a person. I think he's a top, top human being. I really believe that.

"It's (going to provide) opportunities for others, and (there are players) that I know will take the opportunity in the building."

Norgaard took over as Brentford captain after Pontus Jansson left the club in 2023. He is part of a larger leadership group that includes Vitaly Janelt, Ethan Pinnock and Mathias Jensen, as well as more recently Bryan Mbeumo, who's also set to depart this summer, and Yoane Wissa.

The most likely candidate to step in after Norgaard leaves is centre-back Nathan Collins, who was last season appointed as the captain of the Republic of Ireland.

The 24-year-old's development as a leader was praised by former head coach Thomas Frank, and Collins, who was the only outfield player to play every Premier League minute last season, told Standard Sport in May how he's become a more vocal presence in Brentford's dressing room.

There have been murmurs about Collins's future, with inevitable links with a reunion with Frank at Tottenham. But tied to a long contract and settled in west London after overcoming a difficult debut campaign, Andrews will view his fellow countryman as an indispensable part of his squad next season.

Norgaard's departure will be tricky to navigate, but Brentford always have a plan, and in Collins, they have a player approaching the peak years of his career, who's ready to step up and captain the club into a new era.