Mee’s a Bee! Bretford are preparing for their second season in the English top flight and have identified a defensive recruit who’ll bring them fresh blood, quality and much-needed Premier League experience. Ben Mee, who’s been a loyal Burnley servent until recently, is undergoing a medical and will soon pull on the red and white shirt.The 32-year-old centre-back has already agreed upon personal terms with the Bees, having declined offers from two other English clubs and another from Major League Soccer.##NAJAVA_MECA_6519466##Ben first joined Burnley on a loan deal from Manchester City back in July 2011, but that was soon made permanent just a few months later. In total, he made 376 appearances as he became one of then-manager Sean Dyche’s key players, helping the Clarets earn two promotions to the Premier League.In the top-flight, Mee also played a key role as Burnley remained there for six consecutive seasons prior to their relegation, captaining the side. He’s had a bad end of the season after sustaining a broken leg during his team’s defeat to Leicester in March. He is now keen to get back to his best – and prove that he can still play well in the top division.The arrival of the seasoned defender will provide a wealth of experience to a team that finished 13th last season, conceding 56 goals. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been keen to bring in the centre-back because of fitness concerns over Ethan Pinnock and Kristoffer Ajer, who could miss the start of the season.BREAKING: Brentford have agreed terms with free agent Ben Mee ✍️ pic.twitter.com/OxmOuLdyFy— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 21, 2022 Mee will become Brentford’s fourth major signing in this transfer window after the arrivals of Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Thomas Strakosha.Meanwhile, Burnley’s new boss Vincent Kompany will have to assemble an entirely new defence after a post-relegation exodus saw goalkeeper Nick Pope leave for Newcastle and defenders James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Nathan Collins all depart Turf Moore. Besides them, veterans Erik Pieters, Phil Bardsley, Wayne Hennessey and Aaron Lennon left too after their contracts expired. It’s going to be a tall order to get back to the Premier League for them.
