Brentford has signed Nigerian under-20 defender Benjamin Fredrick on loan from Simoiben FC Kaduna until the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.
The deal is subject to international clearance, according to the Premier League club, and there is also the possibility to make the signing permanent.
According to the club, the center defender will play for Neil MacFarlane’s B squad this season. Benjamin played for Nigeria at the Under-20 World Cup earlier this summer, when they advanced to the quarterfinals before losing 1-0 to South Korea.
Benjamin Fredrick has been a regular for the Flying Eagles in recent months, having played 11 times at U20 level since debuting at the age of 17.
In addition to four appearances in this year’s U20 World Cup, he also appeared six times as Nigeria finished third in the U20 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
In recent seasons, the 18-year-old defender, Benjamin Fredrick has also had loan spells with other Nigerian clubs such as ABS FC and Nasawara United, and he now moves to west London to continue his development under the B-team coaching staff.
Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane said of Benjamin’s arrival, “Benjamin is a player who has been identified by our recruitment department and he’s a real prospect having impressed for Nigeria in recent tournaments.
“He’s a very tenacious player who likes to defend on the front foot. He’s somebody we will look to develop through our games programme, and we’ll see how his development progresses over the course of his loan. We look forward to welcoming Benjamin to the club.”
