New Brentford signing Sepp van den Berg “has all the hallmarks of a top-class defender”, says Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy.

Van den Berg, who has signed a five-year deal with the Bees having completed a transfer from Liverpool, spent last season on loan at Mainz. He missed just one league game and ranked second in the German top flight for blocks and aerial duels won.

Sepp van den Berg had played plenty of first-team football before joining Mainz last summer, but off the back of what looks to be his breakout campaign, is there any real surprise it resulted in a move?

Van den Berg was always going to be on the move this summer, especially after such an impressive season in the Bundesliga with Mainz.

The German club were strongly interested in bringing him back for this season, but he ended last season so well and ended up moving out of their price range as a result.

Bayer Leverkusen were also interested this summer, and their scouting departments have been incredible in recent years, which shows the talent that Brentford have signed.

Injury ruined his loan to Schalke in 2022/23, but he returned to Germany last summer and played all but one league game as Mainz finished 13th. What did you make of his season overall?

Van den Berg firmly established himself in the middle of Mainz’s back three – with Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Dominik Kohr either side - and his reliability and calm leadership in defence played a key part in turning their season around.

He helped them not only escape relegation from the top flight, but also to have a lot of positives to take into the new season under manager Bo Henriksen, who took over from ex-Huddersfield boss Jan Siewert in February.

What are his strengths as a centre-back?

Simply put, the Dutchman is an aerial monster. He was in the top percentile for aerial duels won in the Bundesliga last season and is also unlikely to be caught out at the back. Interceptions, good positioning, and well-timed tackles are his forte.

Is he someone that particularly favours playing as part of a back three or a back four?

He has already shown he is capable of playing in multiple systems so far in his short career to date, but he really excelled in the middle of a back three during his time at Mainz.

Had the table only started for the second half of the season, the Zero Fivers would have finished in seventh and qualified for this season’s edition of the Europa League.

Given character is almost as important as talent in football these days, how would you sum up the way he comes across in that respect?

He always shows he is extremely determined, which could be seen in the way he bounced back after that injury at Schalke. As well as that, he demands first-team football, and knew he had to leave Liverpool to get that. First it was on loan, but now it is permanent after the arrival of Arne Slot as Jürgen Klopp’s successor.

Van den Berg is no stranger to English football, but how do you think he will fare in the Premier League?

He will have a point to prove after being allowed to leave by Liverpool, and with Mainz he has already shown he can compete in one of Europe’s top leagues.

As a result, he should fit ideally into Brentford’s starting line-up and hit the ground running in the Premier League.

How good do you think he can become?

He has shown huge potential already and will only continue to improve.

It is no wonder Leverkusen were interested in signing him as van den Berg has all the hallmarks of a top-class defender.