Republic of Ireland international Nathan Collins says being named Brentford’s new captain is a dream come true, and is relishing the challenge of leading his side through a period of change.
Collins was officially named as the Bees’ new skipper on Saturday, stepping into the role previously held by Christian Norgaard, who left this summer to join Arsenal.
He celebrated his new post with a well-taken headed goal against local rivals Queens Park Rangers in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon, as Brentford ramped up their preparations for the new Premier League campaign.
The 24-year-old has already captained his country in the absence of Seamus Coleman, and says leading his club side at a young age is something he is immensely proud of.
“It’s a dream as a kid to be able to captain a team in the Premier League,” Collins said after his side’s 1-0 victory.
“I’m excited for the challenge. I’m looking forward to it. It’s an easy group to captain. I have a lot of good people, a lot of experienced people here that I can bounce off and use for information or whatever I need. I’m going to enjoy it.
“I’d like to think the way I play football, I’m a leader in general, so I don’t want to have to change too much.”
After several years of consistency under former boss Thomas Frank, this summer has seen significant change at the west London outfit.
Frank has departed to take over as the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach, and has been replaced in the dugout by his former set-piece coach, and Collins’ fellow Irishman, Keith Andrews.
“I’ve had him since under-15s in Ireland, so I’m sick of him,” Collins joked when asked about working under Andrews.
“So far, so good. I’m enjoying it. His ideas are good. The lads he’s brought in are playing with a lot of good, new ideas.
“It’s going to be different. It’s going to be fresh from what Thomas has given, but it’s an exciting challenge.”
Collins might boast plenty of experience for his age, but was certainly not the only choice to be the club’s new captain.
Andrews has added former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to his squad this summer, while long-serving players Ethan Pinnock, Mathias Jensen, and Rico Henry would also have been considered.
“I’ve seen him really develop as a human being,” Andrews explains on why he has placed his trust in Collins.
“He’s very, very mature for his age. There’s a lot of experience for his age and his standards are very, very high.
“He’s very ambitious and he has the full respect of not just the players, but all the staff. We have a lot of leaders in our squad but Nathan, for me, was the right decision.”
Along with former captain Norgaard, meanwhile, last season’s top scorer Bryan Mbeumo has also left this summer for Manchester United, and there remains uncertainty around the future of second top goalscorer from the last campaign Yoane Wissa, who was left out of the friendly against QPR amid uncertainty around his future.
“Of course, you’re always disappointed to lose players of that quality,” Collins admits.
“They deserve the opportunity. What they’ve done for us last season, what they’ve done for Brentford as a whole is unbelievable.
“They deserve these opportunities. This club moves on. We get on with it.
“We have new players coming in for those positions, new players who want that shirt, who want to fight for that position. It’s a new challenge. Someone else has to step into that role.”
Key to Brentford’s rise from League Two to the Premier League has been their ability to replace players who move on. When the club sold Ollie Watkins in the Championship, they replaced him with Ivan Toney, whose goals helped fire Brentford to the top flight.
And Collins has the utmost confidence that the club can do it again this season, even if Wissa should follow Mbeumo and Norgaard out the door.
“In football, it moves quick,” he said. “Players move on, managers move on. It happens quickly and you have to get your head around that.
“In this club, we’ve bounced back. There’s a lot of good people in the background who are in the same job, helping and pushing us. It’s an exciting challenge this season.
“We all know Wissa. He’s a lovely lad. He’s a good guy. Even around the changing room, he’s a good personality. It’s up to him what he wants to do.
“It’s not going to affect us too much on the pitch. If he’s here, great. If he’s not, then we move on. It’s up to him. It’s his decision. No one else can help him with that. We’ll see what happens.”
Collins himself has also been linked with other clubs this summer, including a possible reunion with Frank at Spurs, but says he is firmly focused on helping steer Brentford through this period of change.
“My focus is here,” he said. “We’re ready to go for the season. One more friendly, get a full 90 in that and be ready and raring to go for Nottingham Forest.”
