Christian Norgaard makes Thomas Frank Tottenham claim and his Mikel Arteta Arsenal conversation

Christian Norgaard has admitted it will be "interesting" to come up against a Thomas Frank team having worked under the Dane for so long. The Arsenal midfielder was an instrumental part of Brentford's success under Frank, helping the Bees win promotion from the Championship to establish them as a Premier League club in his six years in west London.

Making the switch to Arsenal earlier this month as Mikel Arteta added some more experience to his squad, Frank was also on the move as he headed to the white side of north London to become Tottenham Hotspur boss. Arsenal and Spurs play each other in a North London Derby in Hong Kong next Thursday, giving both Norgaard and his former boss an early chance to face each other.

"It's fine. We get the pre-season game out of the way and then we get straight to business when the season starts," he told football.london in Singapore.

"It'll be good to see him of course, we had a good time together at Brentford but life goes on as well. I'm in a different place, he's in a different place but now it will be interesting to play against him now that I've played with him for a long time."

Martin Zubimendi may be Arsenal's standout summer signing so far but Norgaard could prove to be a vital piece of the jigsaw due to his experience. The Denmark international knows he may not start every game due to the options available to Arteta but he just wants to help the team both on and off the pitch.

"I’m realistic of course. I know this is a step up in terms of quality, size of club but I'm also here to contribute of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have made the move," he said.

"I know there are some of the best players in the world in my position here. It will be competitive. There are the things you see in the weekend on the pitch but there are a lot of things going on around the football team but I really hope I can help this team on and off the pitch."

He added: "Yeah, it’s about being available. It’s about being fit. I'm used to playing 38 games plus a couple of cup games but here it will be close to 60 games maybe. You need a full squad and for me it is about being available and I know my chances will come and it's just about taking them when they're there."

Norgaard simply couldn't turn Arsenal down when they first made the move for him and he spoke with Arteta.

"There’s a lot of competition but for me it was a chance to represent Arsenal at the age of 31," said the Copenhagen-born player. "I was coming to a later stage of my career and I signed a new deal with Brentford, but when the interest came from Arsenal and I first talked with Mikel, it was very clear to me that I would do everything to be able to play here.

"To get this adventure, to be part of a team that has such big ambitions is for me an amazing step to take at this stage of my career."

Joining Arsenal nice and early in pre-season, the midfielder has benefited from the opportunity to get down to work with his new teammates first thing in the summer.

"I think it is a good point that Mikel is making about getting players in as quick as possible," he said. "I've been able to be with the team from day one in pre-season. It has benefitted me a lot.

"I'm much further down the line now in terms of the integration of play than I would have been, if I had joined now. It is such a good group, good group of staff and the whole team around has made everything very easy."

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