Following the arrival of Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal continued their midfield rebuild with the signing of Brentford captain Christian Norgaard. But who is the Danish international, what will he bring to the side and why is he costing (up to) £12 million?
Phil Costa reports.
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Arsenal aren’t typically known for doing their transfer business in a speedy or efficient manner. They play the game, negotiations drag on for the best possible deal, but in certain circumstances they can be forced into action which is what we saw in their pursuit of Christian Norgaard. In less than six hours, exploring developed into closing an agreement, which then led to finalising – before the deal was announced today (delayed somewhat by some personal circumstances).
This pursuit was undoubtedly influenced by the departure of Thomas Partey who left the club after failing to agree terms on a new deal, following the more unanimous exit of Jorginho who joined Flamengo in June to feature in their Club World Cup campaign. That’s a lot of experience, leadership and know-how to lose in a key area of the pitch; which brings us to Brentford and their captain.
The Bees have been a breath of fresh air since their Premier League promotion in 2021 and know a player when they see one, with Ivan Toney, David Raya, Said Benrahma and likely Bryan Mbeumo all leaving for fees significantly higher than what they were first signed for. But there’s something to be said for stability and Norgaard falls into that category, who has been a constant under Thomas Frank – making more appearances (262) under the recently retired manager than any other player.
Few expected him to have this kind of impact in England after a relatively low profile career beforehand, but his individual development and ability to find extra gears – which led to him being named captain of the side – tallies nicely with Brentford who are now firmly established as part of the Premier League furniture.
So what kind of player are Arsenal signing? To summarise him in the simplest way possible; Norgaard is a primarily defensive, ball winning midfielder. Like Zubimendi, he is a number six (for both club and country) but operates quite closely to Vitaly Janelt and Mikkel Damsgaard at Brentford, with a fair amount of freedom and flexibility afforded between them to push forward and rotate. He usually plays in a more traditional double pivot alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for Denmark.
According to Opta, the 31-year-old ranked second in the Premier League for possessions won in the middle third (112) last season behind only Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo (130), and eighth for total interceptions (49). Positionally, his best work comes between the penalty area and halfway line, although the midfielder has shown a capacity to contribute in attacking areas and even press man-to-man which Brentford also tried under Frank.
More impressively, since his top flight debut four years ago, Norgaard has made 201 interceptions – the most of any player during this period. He also ranks second overall for recoveries (844) and third for tackles won (189). His ball-winning style is very proactive and while others prefer to display more subtlety in their game; anticipating passes, extending legs around people, the midfielder is no stranger to a crunching tackle and getting stuck in: just ask Gabriel Martinelli.
For those concerned about his age and whether his legs have gone (or are going), Norgaard has consistently found himself in the highest bracket for distance covered. Even last season he was among the Premier League’s top 20 players in this metric, highlighting an ability to cover major ground without issue despite lacking elite speed. This will eventually slow down as he gets older and his role at Arsenal may require more positional discipline, but it’s encouraging nonetheless.
I hear you. Arsenal need more from their defensive midfielders than Brentford do, especially in possession and that’s completely true. Norgaard won’t be able to replicate what Jorginho does on the ball (few can), and I don’t see him receiving with his back to goal and evading pressure with quick feet, or a no-touch turn like Partey.
Something to consider is how differently Arsenal play compared to Brentford. The Bees are extremely direct and effectively bypass their midfield in search of transition moments where Kevin Schade, Yoanne Wissa and especially Mbeumo can run into space. This shows up in the data with Norgaard playing 35.29% of his passes forward in the Premier League last season, more than any other Gunners midfielder.
He’s less accurate but more direct, which also applied to a certain M.Zubimendi when I profiled him as well. However, Norgaard was ranked 10th across the Premier League last season for passes completed through the lines which confirms his willingness to be brave from deeper areas. The difference in both teams’ styles is something he will have to learn and adapt to, but there
Of course, it wouldn’t be an Arsenal signing without them offering something from set pieces and he more than delivers in this department (pun intended). Nine of his 11 goals for the Bees were from set piece situations and since their promotion, Norgaard has generated set-piece shots worth 10.26xG – with only Gabriel (14.44xG) and Fabian Schar (10.55xG) generating more than him, according to Opta data.
Ironically enough, he found himself on the scoresheet when Brentford beat a Covid-stricken Arsenal 2-0 in their first ever Premier League match four years ago, rising highest from a long throw after Aaron Ramsdale was caught in no man’s land.
Writing this article gave me a strong sense of deja vu, because I feel the same way about Norgaard as I did when Jorginho signed back in January 2023. In the midst of a very real title charge, Arsenal had just missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo; before eventually bringing in Jorginho and Trossard – and people weren’t happy. Both players proved to be useful signings despite the side falling short twice in three years for the league.
Ultimately, football is cyclical and change is important to keep minds and motivations fresh; new players also offer you the chance to evolve tactically and there was a sense that teams had Arsenal figured out last season.
Norgaard isn’t coming in to replace Partey, Zubimendi is doing that. He’s coming in to replace Jorginho and even then, Declan Rice could potentially sit above him in the pecking order despite growing into a more advanced role under Mikel Arteta. But there has been a vacuum left in midfield by those two departures and the 31-year-old helps fill that void, providing aggression, experience and plug-and-playability to a key area that maybe couldn’t accommodate a younger player learning his trade.
There’s no need to overthink this deal; Arsenal bolster their midfield depth with a proven, top flight player for relatively little spend. Brentford have the chance to refresh their own options and send-off their captain after six years of exemplary service, and the player himself earns the chance to play (and hopefully win trophies) at the highest level during the latter stages of his career.
He won’t change our world like others have in the past, but simplicity can sometimes be the ultimate sophistication.
