Michael Kayode’s first interview: Brentford is the perfect club for me | OneFootball

Michael Kayode has explained why Brentford is the “perfect club” for him to join and has revealed his ambitions for his time in west London.

The 20-year-old right-back signed for the Bees on loan from Serie A side Fiorentina for the remainder of the 2024/25 season on Friday. The deal includes an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer.

“I’m so excited because I wanted to come here so much,” said the Italy youth international.

“I think Brentford is the perfect club for me. I love the stadium, the fans and my team-mates.

“I want to work match by match but my dream with Brentford would be to help them reach European competitions next season.”

Kayode, who scored the winning goal for Italy in the 2023 European Under-19 Championship final against Portugal, met some of his new team-mates at Jersey Road on Thursday.

He spoke about his conversations with Bees head coach Thomas Frank as well as striker Igor Thiago, who netted for former side Club Brugge in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final against Kayode’s parent club last year.

“I was at the training ground today [Thursday] and the first team-mate I saw was Igor Thiago,” he continued.

“I played against him last year in the semi-final of the Conference League. He told me about the other team-mates and said that it is a fantastic group.

“I had a conversation with Thomas Frank and I love his ideas. He loves to press and to take the ball - I think he is a fantastic coach.”

Asked what supporters can expect to see from him, Brentford’s new no.33 added: “I’m fast and strong. I like to give a lot of help to my team-mates, I like to advance as a full-back.

“I want to assist my team-mates to score goals and to win in difficult moments and difficult matches.”