Brentford sign former Burnley captain Ben Mee on two-year contract

Brentford have further strengthened their squad ahead of the new Premier League season by signing Ben Mee on a free transfer.

The 32-year-old has agreed a two-year deal with the Bees following the expiration of his contract at Burnley, who he served with distinction for over a decade.

Boss Thomas Frank said on the club’s official website: “I am very happy that we have signed Ben. He will add a lot of quality and experience to the squad. He had six good years for Burnley in the Premier League.

“I really love his defensive mindset; he knows how to defend the box, he knows how to block a shot and he knows how to win duels.

“He will bring leadership and communication to the team, which is very attractive. He has a very good left foot and will be very good for us on set-pieces in both boxes. I am looking forward to adding him to the squad.”

Mee, who played almost 400 times for the Clarets over a 11-year period, becomes Brentford’s fourth signing of the summer, joining Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Thomas Strakosha in west London.

The centre-half currently lives in the north west and has vowed to make the free transfer carbon neutral by donating to Carbon Neutral Britain, a UN certified organisation who help offset carbon footprints through things like solar and wind farms and planting trees.

Mee has donated a sum big enough to offset the average person’s carbon footprint for an entire year.

“I am conscious that transfers rack up a lot of air miles and driving miles as well so I am looking to offset my emissions for this transfer,” he said on his social media.

“I am not perfect but I am trying to do my bit to make this transfer carbon neutral.”