Brentford have signed Spanish international goalkeeper Álvaro Fernández from Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, subject to international clearance. The 23-year-old, who made his international debut and played for Spain in the Olympic Games this summer, completed a medical in West London earlier today, Tuesday 17 August. He will join The Bees on a one-year loan deal with a Club option to make the move permanent at the end of the 2021/22 season.

Thomas Frank, Brentford FC Head Coach, said: “Álvaro is a player with huge potential, and we are very pleased that he has come in to our squad and our goalkeeper unit. He will come here and compete every day with David Raya and Patrik Gunnarsson. This is a signing that make us stronger as a group and will help push us to a higher level.”

Manu Sotelo, Brentford FC Goalkeeper Coach, said: “Álvaro is a young keeper who has already produced brilliant performances in La Liga, standing out as a shot stopper and with his positioning, especially dealing with through balls and crosses. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet, which fits with our model. He is coming here to improve our goalkeeper group, working and competing everyday with David and Patrik.”

Phil Giles, Brentford FC Co-Director of Football, added: “We have been trying to sign Álvaro all summer, but his involvement at the Olympics delayed his arrival. We are looking forward to seeing what he can achieve with us this season and potentially beyond.”

Álvaro comes to Brentford after a memorable summer. He was part of the Spain squad that went to the UEFA European Under-21 Championships and played in all five games as his country reached the last four. They eventually lost to runners-up Portugal.

When Spain’s national team suffered a Covid-19 outbreak in June, players from the Under-21 group were called in to play an international friendly against Lithuania. Álvaro played in goal, earning his first international cap, as Spain won 4-0. He was then part of the Spain squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and finished earlier this month. Spain won the silver medal.

Álvaro’s first steps in professional football came with Club Atlético Osasuna. He played for Osasuna B in the third and fourth tiers and made his debut in La Liga at the age of 18. He moved to AS Monaco in 2017 and played for their reserves during a solitary year in France before returning to Spain.

The goalkeeper spent the 2018/19 season on loan with Extremadura Unión Deportiva in the Spanish second tier before leaving Monaco permanently and joining Huesca. He helped them with promotion to the top flight in his first season and played 22 La Liga games last season. In playing against Lithuania earlier this summer, he became the first Huesca player to earn a Spain cap.