Arsenal agree SHOCK £15m deal to sign Premier League captain to replace outgoing Thomas Partey - with 31-year-old set for medical
Arsenal have swooped to strike a deal to sign Brentford captain Christian Norgaard after failing to agree a contract renewal for Thomas Partey.
Norgaard is poised to move across London for £10million and up to £5m in add-ons pending a medical.
Personal terms are yet to be agreed but are not expected to scupper what would be a dream move for the 31-year-old Denmark international who joined the Bees in 2019 and has been hugely influential in their rise to the Premier League.
Partey's contract expires at the end of the month and while Arsenal refuse to rule out the idea of reaching a renewal agreement in the coming days this clinical move for Norgaard is a clear statement that they will not be held to ransom by excessive wage demands.
Norgaard will strengthen Mikel Arteta 's midfield with proven Premier League experience and leadership qualities.
He signed a new two-year deal at Brentford in March because he did not want to uproot his family amid serious interest from Benfica.
But the idea of a move across the capital to the Emirates Stadium where he can challenge for titles and compete in the Champions League in the twilight of this career has proved too tempting.
The Bees must feel as if they have been under attack since the end of another successful season punching above their weight in the Premier League.
They have already lost head coach Thomas Frank and three of his backroom staff to Tottenham, and Manchester United are close to agreeing a £60m deal to sign Bryan Mbeumo.
Frank was interested in taking Mbeumo to Spurs but the Cameroon forward appears to have already set his heart on a move to Old Trafford.
The new Spurs boss was also keen on Norgaard, who played for him in the youth ranks of Denmark's national teams and at Brondby.
Arsenal though have done their business at speed, offering Brentford what they consider to be good value for a mature so closely aligned to Frank and his style of play.
Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta are limbering up for an ambitious summer of trading at the Emirates Stadium.
They are expected to sign Spain international Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for £55million as a replacement for Jorginho, who moved at the end of his contract to Flamengo in Brazil.
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A tour through the HQ gives you a feel of the collaborative culture within the club, with all of the departments easily accessible. Inside his office, Smith operates from a standing desk. The Learning Zone, named by Smith, is where press conferences take place and also where they deliver video analysis. 'One of my big things is to help players learn. I believe our job as coaches is like a teacher and to get the best out of them,' Smith says. 'We did it at Brentford where we changed the video room into a learning zone. I constantly ask questions. If I don't, then I don't know what the players know. I need to know what they know before I can coach them any further,' he insists. So how does it feel, quality wise? Last year, he described it as 'top-ten Championship' but believes that for the MLS to improve, it must adapt. 'It's hard to assess because it would be tough for Premier League clubs to come and play in this heat. England have got to be ready for the heat next year, for sure. 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'There's a lot of talk externally here, expecting Wilf to come and score 15 goals in 20 games but that's not the reality. I keep saying he's not played for nine months and what would that make the league look like if he did. But he's grown and I feel we'll see the best of him towards the end of the season,' he stresses. It leads us to the topic of another winger in Jack Grealish, who calls Smith his 'second dad' and like Zaha, needs to be playing regularly again after falling out of favour under Pep Guardiola. Smith gave Grealish the captaincy at Villa and helped lay the foundations for his £100M move to Manchester City in 2021. The pair spoke last week when Smith was back in the UK. 'We keep in touch regularly. He's a wonderful person but he's an unbelievable player too. What I want to see is him playing football again because if he does, he'll be a star for England at the World Cup,' says Smith. 'Thomas (Tuchel) wants him playing and if he is, I'm sure he'll get back in the England team. I just told him to keep calm, keep fit and be ready for whatever challenge is out there. Thomas said he's one player that can take the ball in any situation. The bigger, the better for Jack and that's what England need - players that can handle the football. Just look at when Man City won the Champions League and played Real Madrid away and he was the one demanding the ball. He needs to go to a club but it's also who can afford him with PSR.' Inevitably, there is intrigue about his own boyhood club too with players he knows well like Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins potentially heading out of Villa Park this summer. 'Villa don't want to lose either of them and I don't think they can,' says Smith. 'My wife's not happy because we had one game in June so we missed Ollie's wedding and she was gutted we didn't go. He's another top lad that I keep in touch with and now Villa's Premier League top scorer. I think he's irreplaceable,' he says. As another Smith, Jamie, knocks off the winning runs at Headingley, our time comes to an end as Smith has a flight to catch for a game in Kansas, before a trip to Chicago this weekend - this week will see Charlotte clock up around 4,000 miles of travel. Tough but all good preparation for his trip to Australia in December, when Smith is planning to go with his wife for the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne. By then, the MLS season will be over and he'll be hoping he can head down under with some silverware.
