Man Utd beaten to Thomas Strakosha free transfer by Brentford as Albania goalkeeper signs four-year deal
BRENTFORD have announced the signing of goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
The Bees fought off competition from Manchester United to snap up Strakosha on a free transfer.
The Albania international leaves Lazio after nine years at the Serie A club and has penned a three-year deal with the option of an extra year.
United had identified Strakosha as a replacement for Dean Henderson following his loan to Nottingham Forest.
And the Red Devils were believed to be close to landing the goalkeeper, who attracted interest from several Premier League clubs.
But Strakosha opted for the Bees instead, possibly because he did not want to sit on the bench behind David De Gea.
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It is possible Thomas Frank offered him regular game time with the Dane a big fan of Strakosha.
Speaking about his latest signing, the : "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.
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"He fits our goalkeeper model and comes in to a good environment with David Raya and Matthew Cox pushing each other every day."