Aston Villa stunned as Brentford complete hijacking of star who dominated his league last season.

 

Aston Villa and Danish side Copenhagen both lodged official offers for the towering 6ft 4in goalkeeper last week. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Villa out-bid Copenhagen when putting up €2m compared to Copenhagen’s €1.7m.

However, Villa’s bid was not enough to satisfy Swedish club Elfsborg where Valdimarsson plays.

Instead, the race remained open and the Athletic quickly brought news of Brentford steaming in with a superior €3m bid.

That proved enough to get the greenlight from Elfsborg and with a medical passed and contract signed, Valdimarsson has now been unveiled as a new Brentford player.

The goalkeeper has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract running until the summer of 2028. Brentford also have options for an extra two years they can activate at their leisure.

Responding to the coup, Bees boss Thomas Frank could barely contain his excitement and also referenced the fact his side beat Aston Villa in the race.

“I’m very, very happy that we’ve managed to sign Hakon,” said Frank. “There was competition from a lot of other clubs, including some in the Premier League. We are growing as a club, and we have proven that we make players better.

“Hakon is an exciting keeper. He is good at dominating his box, claiming crosses from set-pieces and in open play. His distribution is also at a high level. He fits the way we want to play, which is very important.

“Hakon is coming in to strengthen our goalkeeper group and to compete.”

Valdimarsson will now provide back-up to No 1 Mark Flekken and compete with Thomas Strakosha for a role on the bench.

However, Valdimarsson’s stellar form last term certainly suggests he’ll have his eyes set on toppling Flekken down the line.

Indeed, Valdimarsson was named Goalkeeper of the Year in the Swedish topflight in 2023.

The five-cap Iceland international also led the league in clean sheets (13) and had the highest save percentage (78).