Romeo Beckham joins Premier League club on loan

Romeo Beckham, the son of former England captain David Beckham, has completed a January loan to Brentford from Inter Miami until the end of the season.

Beckham will be part of the club’s B team in the hope of taking his game to the next level. He had already been training with the Bees since December, with North American clubs currently between seasons, and sufficiently impressed to earn himself a more formal contract until summer.

The 20-year-old was previously in the youth setup at Arsenal and joined Inter Miami in 2021 shortly after turning 19 following a break from football. He has since played regularly for Inter Miami II, having also made an unofficial debut for the club’s first-team in a pre-season friendly last January.

Romeo is the first Beckham child to follow his father into professional football. Older brother Brooklyn formerly played at youth level with LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and eventually Arsenal, but quit trying to make it as a footballer aged 15 when the Gunners released him.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Romeo is primarily a right-sided midfielder or winger like his father. In 2022, he played 20 times in MLS Next Pro, essentially Major League Soccer’s reserve league, scoring twice and impressively registering 10 assists.

"He came to us from Inter Miami with the aim of working with us during their close season. Romeo has applied himself unbelievably well, he’s really bought into the culture and the group which he has become a big part of,” Brentford B coach Neil MacFarlane said.

“I love his standards and the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch. He’s been able to get fitter and fitter during his time with us and it leaves him in a good place to now step forward having joined us on loan.

“He is very technical, and he is somebody who can shift the ball quickly and cross. He is also a really good finisher and he has the ability to play a number of positions for us, which is also pleasing.”

Whether Beckham gets close to Thomas Frank’s first-team will depend on how he performs over the coming weeks and months.