The first quarter of the Premier League season has now passed and Brentford sit 12th in the table. The Bees have earned 12 points so far and as Kristoffer Ajer explained, that has come about from a desire to be brave. Kristoffer was speraking to Miguel Delaney of The Independent in an interview conducted before Brentford beat Stoke City in the Carabao Cup.

“Yes, it’s brave, and it’s something we want to be," said Kristoffer in the interview. "We want to play exciting football, we want to be able to press forward and create chances. In the Premier League, if you’re not pressing with everyone, if you’re standing back there with too many defenders, teams will play through you. We know we can be offensive, but that we also have to do it in a controlled manner. That’s been the focus since pre-season.”

In the interview, Kristoffer explained that being a Premier League player is a 24/7 business with minutes not on the training pitch being dedicated to learning. He discussed the role of the Brentford coaching staff and also how he came to join The Bees. Kristoffer said Brentford had done their homework.

“They were very positive but also very keen to develop my weaknesses as well,” he said. “That was something I appreciated. I had some great conversations with the other clubs as well, but Brentford were telling me what I had to develop.

"That’s something I really like as a person, to know what I need to do to reach the level I have to reach – and Brentford were going to help me with that. They had scouted me for more than a hundred games. They told me all the reasons they were interested in me, but also what they could develop on the defensive side, all these things."

The piece was released just ahead of Brentford's match with Burnley. Kristoffer missed that game with a hamstring injury. The full piece is available here.