Nathan Collins: Born Leader | OneFootball

It’s easy to forget that Nathan Collins is still only 23.

A born leader, the centre-back both plays and carries himself with a maturity that is beyond his years.

Now in his second season at Brentford, Collins previously opened up on his family’s rich sporting background.

In that interview, he also discussed how much it means, both to himself and those closest to him, to play for Republic of Ireland.

“There’s nothing better than playing for Ireland, I love it so much. I’d do anything and fight through any injury to play for my country,” he reflected, when discussing his international debut back in October 2021 against Qatar.

Naturally, there was only one place we could start when sitting down with Collins once again.

In September, Ireland went into two UEFA Nations League home games against England and Greece.

It was the start of a new era, with Icelandic head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson in charge for the first time, having been announced as Stephen Kenny’s replacement in July, following a period when the Boys in Green were under the temporary guidance of interim manager John O’Shea.

As he has been - injury aside - since 2022, Collins was picked in the starting XI to take on the Three Lions in a match that may be best remembered for former Ireland youth internationals Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scoring in a 2-0 success for interim head coach Lee Carsley’s side.

Another blow for the home side in Dublin was losing captain and stalwart Séamus Coleman to a foot injury.

Just three days later, the responsibility – and honour – of leading out Ireland in Coleman’s absence was passed to Collins.

“It was all a bit surreal,” he recalls. “I tried to control my emotions as much as I could so it wouldn’t affect my game.

“Before the game, I think I did a good job of that in terms of staying relaxed, focusing on my job and doing what I do normally as a normal player in the squad.

“After, when I talked to my family, I was able to express the emotions a bit more and enjoy the emotions of what I’d just achieved.

“I enjoyed it a lot more afterwards than I did before because I had to focus on the match. It’s such a big thing.

“Some of my family were crying in the stands. If I looked at them, I’d have probably started crying myself.

“It means so much to them as well and, as I said, it’s one of the biggest honours our family has ever had, it’s probably the biggest thing we’ve had to celebrate together.

“To have that opportunity to play for Ireland and captain my country is the biggest honour I’ve had in my life.”

Wearing the armband is not an unfamiliar feeling for Collins.

In fact, almost four years after leaving Stoke City - his first professional team having moved there from youth club Cherry Orchard back in 2016 - he still holds the record as the Potters’ youngest ever captain – a feat he achieved aged just 18 and 105 days for a Carabao Cup tie against Wigan Athletic.

However, stepping into the shoes of Coleman, an inspiration to Collins and, undoubtedly, most players who grew up in the Emerald Isle, is no easy task.

“He’s a legend for Ireland and he loves playing for Ireland,” Collins begins, keen to heap praise on the Everton legend who he clarifies, on a number of occasions, is still very much captain of their country.

“I watched Ireland a lot as a kid and Séamus was one of those who was in the teams I grew up watching.

“No matter what, he’ll always give 100 per cent every time he plays; what he does for the team, his energy for the team and his energy to play for Ireland.

“To have someone like him to look up to and take stuff from him to improve my game is amazing.”

That brings the chat from the international game to club level and, more specifically, Collins' captain at Brentford, Christian Nørgaard.

When Thomas Frank’s side travelled to Everton in November, the Bees’ skipper received a red card, which was later rescinded, for a challenge on Jordan Pickford towards the end of the first half.

The 10-man visitors held firm to secure a goalless draw in their last-ever visit to Goodison Park, with Collins coming out post-match to say that the side got the result for their captain. “We know how much he does for us, so it’s just a bit of payback for him,” he stated.

Following on from talking about Coleman, Collins is more than happy to expand on what exactly Nørgaard gives to the west Londoners.

“It’s everything, on and off the pitch. He’s just a leader and he never has a day off.

“When we lost him [at Everton], which was unfortunate because he probably didn’t deserve to be sent off, we knew we had to give it a good go for someone like him.

“He does so much for us on the pitch, in and out of possession, defending the way he does as well.

“He’s always in control of training and always pushing lads to get better. He’s someone you can always look to if something has happened in a game, he’s always ready to go and give it a good shot again.

“He gets lads together and pushes them, and off the pitch he’s the same. He chats to everyone and makes sure everyone is alright. To have that player in the squad is great.”

After leading out Ireland against Greece, Collins captained his country on four further occasions, playing the duration of their four fixtures across the October and November international breaks, including at Wembley Stadium.

Having worked closely with both Coleman and Nørgaard, it’s natural that Collins has tried to add elements of their captaincy styles into his own.

“I always try to pick things from different captains I’ve had in my life,” he continues.

“I’ve had some unbelievable captains. I think it’s different for everyone because we are all in different positions.

“I had Ryan Shawcross at Stoke and I had Ben Mee [at Burnley] and he’s a legend. I get along with him well, but in general, if there is anything I ever need, I can go to him whether it’s football or off the pitch.

“I now have Nørgaard and I have Seamus Coleman.

“I just try to take things from all of them, learn from them, and then try and introduce it in my own way, with the way I play football and with my leadership skills.

“If I can put all of them together into one big ball and use that, I think I’ve got a good chance of being a really good leader!”

Although Collins is yet to captain the Bees - Vitaly Janelt has deputised on five occasions this season when Nørgaard has not been involved and Mathias Jensen led out the side in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield Wednesday in October - his impact on the team is clear.

Since joining from Wolves in July 2023, no player has featured in more victories at the club (18, tied with Janelt) than the defender.

Last season, Collins completed more passes (1,196) and averaged more blocks per game (0.9) than any of his team-mates, with only centre-back partner Ethan Pinnock averaging more clearances per game (5.8) than the former Burnley man (4).

This year, Collins is the only player to complete every minute of the Bees’ 22 Premier League fixtures, making him one of just five outfield players, alongside Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth) and Leif Davis (Ipswich), to do so in the division this term.

Even when Thomas Frank looked to rest the Irishman in the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Newcastle, an injury in the warm-up for Sepp van den Berg saw him step in and step up to play another 90 minutes.

What makes Collins' durability and continued availability even more remarkable, though, is how he has consistently put his body on the line for the cause.

He leads the Premier League for shots blocked (32), and is third in the division for both aerial duels won (75) and clearances (116).

Discussing those impressive numbers, it’s clear that he has embodied Brentford’s ‘confident but humble’ mantra – not to suggest that he would’ve been lacking on either of those fronts prior to his move to west London – by sharing the plaudits with his team-mates and the club’s coaching staff.

“It’s probably from watching Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock being magnet heads in training," Collins smiles.

“They’re blocking everything so it’s taking a bit of it from them. I work on it a lot with Claus Nørgaard, our assistant coach. He pushes me a lot to get more blocks and be in the way of things.

“I also just watch games back to try and be in the right positions and read the game as well. It just helps me get my big head in the way!”

Collins is now 18 months into the six-year deal he signed at the club after joining from Wolves and it’s fair to say that he has established himself in the team and as a fan favourite.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he reflects on his time in TW8 so far.

“I’ve said it since I joined the club, the people and the staff here are unbelievable, and I get on with everybody.

“It genuinely is a place I look forward to coming into in the mornings to have a bit of craic with the lads, talking to the lads or talking to staff, whoever it is – from the kitchen, to the coaches, to the physios.

“I get on well with all of the lads. The bond and the chemistry in the squad makes it better to come in every day.

He adds: “Thomas [Frank] has been really good for me, too. I think he’s an unbelievable coach. He sees the game differently to a lot of people.

“Every time he talks, he always has something for me to improve on, so he pushes me to my maximum. I push myself but I also need to be pushed by someone like that.

“With the people around him, you have Claus [Nørgaard], you have Justin [Cochrane], you have Kev O’Connor, you have Keith [Andrews] who he’s brought in, they really do want the best for each player.

“They want you to reach your limit and they want to go to the top. They always push for each player to get to their highest level.

“For anything I need or want, I can ask any of them and that’s unbelievable to have. I can’t fault anyone that I’ve come across in this club.”

Having spent 13 months at Burnley, whom he joined from Stoke, and less than a calendar year at Wolves before moving to the capital, Collins was open about his history despite, of course, being happy to sign for Brentford.

“I don’t like the fact that I’ve moved, and I don’t want to be that person,” he told the club website, clearly keen to stick with the Bees for the long term.

So, has he found the home he was looking for?

“I’d like to think so,” he affirms. “I get on with everyone here and I enjoy coming in here every day.

“It [the feeling of being at home] comes from everywhere. It comes from the staff, being able to enjoy your time with them and talk to them.

“It comes from the surroundings and the fans. It comes from the squad. It’s a little bit of everything and that positivity can make you feel at home and make you enjoy your time here.

“It was unbelievable the way the boys treated me when I first came in and how comfortable I felt and that’s what we try to do with new lads. You want them to feel as comfortable as possible, you want them to settle and fit in with the squad.

“When you’re all facing in the same direction, it can create a nice family and chemistry within the team.”

While clearly settled in west London and excelling on the pitch, Collins is not one who will rest on his laurels.

He finishes: “I really want to get better as a footballer and as a club, we want to push on as well.

“Football is always evolving and I have to get better to stay within the game. I’ll keep pushing myself every week and every day, and also wanting other players and the coaches to keep pushing me as well. It’s not easy, but it’s enjoyable.

“I’m not one to look too far ahead. I like to keep it game by game but of course, we want to push as high as possible.

“I don’t want to be comfortable, and we as a club don’t want to be comfortable. I’m happy to be here.”