Collins named new Brentford captain | OneFootball

Nathan Collins has been named as the new Brentford captain.

The armband was available after the departure of Christian Nørgaard to Arsenal this summer, and Bees head coach Keith Andrews has handed it to Collins ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Collins became Stoke’s youngest-ever captain (18y 105d), and the Republic of Ireland international has also captained his country in the absence of Séamus Coleman.

The new Brentford skipper stated: "It's a massive honour to be captain of this great football club. There have been some great people and footballers before me.

"I'm really excited by the challenge of this season and, with your support, it'll be a special campaign."

Andrews added: "Nathan’s someone I’ve known since he was around 14 years of age, coaching some of the Ireland youth teams.

"He’s always been a natural leader, he’s gained a lot of experience considering the age that he is, and he’s developed his professionalism to a new level because he’s been involved in this environment for a couple of years and has learnt from some great people.

"He communicates very well, he’s got really good values, on and off the pitch, and, naturally, players gravitate towards him - he has respect from all the players and staff, which is a key attribute to have.

"Nathan is a brilliant fit, but he’s just one player and he needs the support of all of us and all the players within the dressing room.

"We’ve got some fantastic experience, which will include a leadership group that’s been selected around Nathan and they will all have a voice in how we do things, because I’m big on player involvement in the process, what we do, and how we do it."

Collins came through the youth ranks at Cherry Orchard in Ireland before joining Stoke City aged 15. He spent two years in the Stoke Academy, making his first start for the club in a 0-0 draw away at Middlesbrough as a 17-year-old.

The defender made 27 appearances in his final year at Stoke before being sold to Burnley in June 2021 and beginning a new challenge in the Premier League.

He received his first Republic of Ireland call-up later that year and made his debut in a 4-0 win over Qatar at Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

Despite Burnley’s relegation, Collins was one of the Clarets’ key players and was picked up by Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2022. He played 26 Premier League games for the Black Country side and moved to Brentford the following summer.

In his first season with the Bees, he made 35 appearances in all competitions and scored his first league goal for the club in a 3-2 win over West Ham United at Gtech Community Stadium.

During the 2024/25 campaign, Collins was the only outfield player in the Premier League to play every single minute of the season, in which time he put in 38 impressive displays at centre-back.