Forget Dusan Vlahovic joining Juventus or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moving to Barcelona, the most uplifting story of the transfer window was Brentford signing Christian Eriksen, offering the midfielder a route back into elite football eight months after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
Eriksen, who ended his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent in December, has spoken of his excitement at making his debut for Thomas Frank’s side, saying it is the first step to moving on from the ordeal he suffered last year.
The 30-year-old has not played since collapsing on the pitch in Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland on June 12 but has been reassured by doctors that he is safe to return to competitive football after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a type of pacemaker which will force his heart to restart if it stops.
Will Eriksen make his Brentford debut today?
Yes! Brentford host Newcastle in the Premier League today at 3pm UK time, and Eriksen is set to feature after being named in the squad and receiving the public backing of coach Frank.
“Christian will be in the squad. He will get on the pitch for his debut tomorrow. It will be amazing,” said Frank.
What else did Frank say?
Speaking in a pre-match press conference, Frank highlighted the significance of Eriksen's Bees debut.
“It is a big day for all of us, but especially Christian and his family. When he walks out on to that pitch," the Brentford boss said.
“Everyone saw what happened (on the pitch at Euro 2020) and it is another reminder that we are privileged to do what we do, so we need to appreciate every moment.
“The key thing is that everything has been checked, it is all good with zero chance that something should happen. He and his family are aligned that he should play football, which is very important.”
How does Eriksen feel about playing again?
Eriksen has revealed that the first thing he told his new team-mates was he did not want any special treatment in training.
He told reporters: "I said: 'I’m here because everything has been cleared; if there are any questions you want to ask me, you can always ask me. Don’t go easy on me, because if there was any concern I wouldn’t be here.'"
The Dane is also on a mission to prove there is a way back to playing from a cardiac arrest.
He added: "I felt from the beginning of this that I need to prove you can play with an ICD, if something that bad has happened," he added. "You can return to normal life afterwards. That is more motivation for me, to show I am capable of that."
Ajax defender Daley Blind, who came through the club's academy alongside Eriksen, was fitted with an ICD in 2019 after suffering from heart muscle inflammation. The device hasn't held back the Dutchman's career at all and he has played in all 21 of Ajax's league games this season.
Belgian footballer Antony van Loo had an ICD fitted in 2008 after being diagnosed with cardiac problems and the device saved his life a year later when it got his heart to restart during a match for Roeselare in the Belgian top flight.
Van Loo continued playing but was eventually was forced to retire in 2018 at the age of 30, several months after collapsing again on the pitch while playing for Kortrijk in Belgium's lower leagues.
