Preston North End completed the signing of Dane Mads Frøkjær-Jensen on Tuesday. The 23-year-old midfielder has joined from Odense on a four-year deal, and will follow in the footsteps of fellow Dane Emil Riis.
The signing is a rare venture outside of the UK and Ireland for the club, and whilst many fans will not have heard much about Frøkjær-Jensen till last week, the signing seems to tick a lot of the right boxes. Deepdale Digest gave our immediate reaction shortly after the signing was confirmed.
It also represents a first transfer fee paid since Ryan Lowe arrived at the club over 18 months ago. Up until now he has had to rely on free transfers such as Robbie Brady and Ben Woodburn, and hit and miss loans such as Alvaro Fernandez and Liam Delap.
The club website says we have paid a significant undisclosed fee for the midfielder who had spent his whole career at Odense up until the move. It would suggest that he has come to the club to play a key part. Whilst it would be a surprise to see Lowe change his preferred formation, Frøkjær-Jensen does arrive with some versatility in midfield.
He’s taken the number 10 shirt, left vacant by Daniel Johnson, and it may be his role he takes in the side as well. Ryan Lowe described him as ‘a ball carrying number eight and that’s where he’ll play for us, or anywhere in those midfield areas.‘
Lowe plays with three central midfielders but without DJ or Josh Onomah we wouldn’t have been left with any attacking ones, apart from perhaps Ben Woodburn. Alan Browne can play in that number eight role, but he has really lacked the attacking threat he once possessed, of late. Goals have disappeared out of his game so perhaps Frøkjær-Jensen can bring that to the team.
He scored eight in 28 games in the Danish Superliga last season. In comparison that was the same amount that Emil Riis scored in his last full season in Denmark when he played for Randers.
Frøkjær-Jensen played predominantly as a number 10 for Odense last season, but he also played deeper back in a two man midfield, and wide on the left as part of a three behind a single striker.
He’s unlikely to play out wide in the Preston team as the wing-back position wouldn’t be suitable for him. It would make sense for him to be the most advanced in a midfield three, with Ben Whiteman and Browne sitting behind him when their is a fully fit squad to choose from.
It can allow Whiteman and Browne to concentrate on their roles, knowing that there is someone capable of linking midfield with attack, playing ahead of them. Previously when playing Ali McCann or Ryan Ledson with the aforementioned two the roles got confused, and there wasn’t anyone capable of carrying the ball upfield and playing defence splitting passes.
Frøkjær-Jensen could be the missing link that we so desperately needed last season.