Brentford have signed Albanian goalkeeper, Thomas Strakosha on a free transfer following his departure from Lazio in June 2022.
Strakosha began his career at Panionios in Greece in 2011 before he was signed by Lazio a year later, where he often found himself as an unused substitute as third-choice goalkeeper until he was sent out on loan to Serie B’s Salernitana for 2015-16 season.
Upon his return to Lazio a year later, Strakosha eventually made his first-team breakthrough as he started a 2-0 defeat against AC Milan, with him eventually making 208 appearances for the Italian Club across six seasons.
During his time at Lazio, Strakosha helped the club win two Supercoppa Italiana titles and 2018-19 Coppa Italia.
The 27 year-old however decided to depart Lazio upon expiry of his contract at end of last month, which ultimately saw Brentford beat Manchester United to secure his services on a four-year contract.
Speaking about the decision to sign Strakosha, Brentford manager, Thomas Frank commented: “I am pleased that we have managed to sign a top goalkeeper.
“He has been number one at Lazio for a long time, which is very impressive. He has played in Serie A and European competition and will bring that experience with him. He fits our goalkeeper model and comes in to a good environment with David Raya and Matthew Cox pushing each other every day.”
Brentford’s Goalkeeping Coach, Manu Sotelo added that he is “very pleased” to welcome Strakosha to the squad, alongside current goalkeepers – David Raya, Matthew Cox and Ellery Balcombe.
On what he expects from Strakosha, Sotelo said: “With him in our goalkeeper union, we will have a nice competition that will provide a step up for everyone. Thomas is an experienced goalkeeper who has played a lot in Serie A and for Albania.
“He fits perfectly with the sort of goalkeeper we want here. He can give us a lot of solutions playing from the back, he is an outstanding shot stopper and is very good positionally. When we spoke to him, he showed his desire to come and work hard to make himself and our other goalkeepers better.”
Strakosha also plays for Albania internationally with 19 senior appearances since making his international debut in 2017, having graduated through the youth ranks.
Strakosha could make his debut for Brentford away at Leicester on Sunday 7 August at 2pm BST in Premier League.
Leave a Reply