So finally the Andre Gray saga is over. The striker has parked his car in the Turf Moor car park and it will remain there for the foreseeable future.
Burnley smashed their record transfer fee signing Gray for a whacking £9.75m (£6.25m up front with £3.5m in add-ons as opposed to the reported £9m plus add-ons)
The whole transfer shenanigans resembled pass-the-parcel with the Gray gift being initially being opened by Hull before then bring passed onto Bristol City. West Ham then got excited thinking the music had stopped before the parcel was finally opened by the children of the good town Burnley.
Having spent the last five weeks travelling the length and breadth of America, it’s been quite refreshing being able to take a back seat on the recent transfer proceedings – watching proceedings from afar. If anything, it has allowed me to take a more measured view on affairs without being affected by the ensuing kerfuffle.
Of all the recent departures – Stuart Dallas, Jonathon Douglas and Moses Odubajo – it was only Andre Gray who who I am truly sad to see go. The other players were all great players for Brentford on their day and I were involved income great moments for Brentford over the years. But Gray was only just starting to get motoring. He was a player with bags of potential to crack out a good olde cliche.
Despite our little quips about Gray chasing the money (isn’t that what fanzines do – take real life situations and make light of them?), we totally understood why Gray left.
The fact is Gray did go for a bigger money move. There is nothing wrong with that at all. It’s strictly business.
He made a decision to reap while the sun shines and join a club that offered him a bigger wage packet.
Not necessarily a club with a better chance of promotion.
Not necessarily a bigger club.
This move was driven by the size of the wage packet amongst other things. And the fact is, if Brentford could have matched the £25k or £30k a week offered by Burnley … Or Hull … Or not quite offered by Bristol City … Gray would still be a Brentford player.
But unfortunately the club with the lowest income in the Championship isn’t in the game of throwing around money like that.
Lets turn the tables around for a second. Would we pay £6.25m plus £3.5m add-ons for a striker like Andre Gray or £3.5m for a Moses Odubajo?
At this stage in Brentford’s career, the answer is quite firmly no. Even my Premier League team-supporting mates admit that type of money being thrown around our league is obscene.
Just to put things into perspective, Brentford’s turnover in our promotion season (2013/14) was £3.3m. Quite staggeringly, Shrewsbury, Orient and even Stevenage all had bigger turnovers than us that season. That gives us an idea of exactly what we’re playing with here.
Having double the average attendance of your rival clubs makes relatively very little difference to your bottom line when the club is making next to nothing from ancillary income including the dreaded (to the football purist) corporate hospitality.
This lack of income means Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules dictate that we are severely restricted in the amount we can spend on signings fees. On new players wages. On existing players wages.
Even if we wanted to.
Yes we may have a benefactor with plenty of cash at his disposal. But unlike Bolton Wanderers – £175m in the red – Matthew Benham is more inclined to spend his money more wisely to ensure the clubs’ long-term viability.
Hence the reason why our hand has been forced to find players either from the lower leagues (where Gray was plucked from 12 months ago for £500k) or Europe where player fees are not as high and wages are much more competitive.
The drawback from pulling in a multitude of players from Europe is the fact that, more often than not, these players take longer to adapt to the English game.
The club is fully aware of this.
Brentford manager Marinus Dijkhuizen mentioned it when myself and Dave Lane met him for drinks pre-season – stating that he realised it was important to ensure that there was a good balance in the team between homegrown players and international players.
Maybe this is one of the reasons why he made Harlee Dean vice captain.
Love the fact we sold Andre or hate the fact we sold Andre, there is no denying that the Andre Gray deal was a great deal for Brentford.
£9.75m for a player we bought for £500k a year ago with a 27.5% sell-on is not bad business at all.
Despite having big money waved in our faces, unlike Brentford of old we never wavered. If Andre Gray was going to leave Brentford, it was on our terms.
Could we have kept Gray?
Not really.
The club was desperate to keep him.
Dijkhuizen, a man who doesn’t mince his words, has continually expressed his admiration for Gray.
Matthew Benham felt Gray was a big part of our future plans.
But his agent had set his eyes on a bigger and better deal for his client. The idea of holding off for a season and ‘growing with Brentford’ – possibly looking a Premier League deal the following season – quite simply wasn’t on the cards.
His agent did his job and he did his job well. He’s a hustler. And to be fair to him, the same way he hustled a deal for Andre to get him away from Brentford – he also hustled a deal to get Gray TO Griffin Park 12 months earlier.
After the 2013/14 promotion season, Gray’s agent approached Brentford asking if they would consider signing him. Despite the stats stacking up well, a decision was made not to sign him up at the time.
Not taking no for an answer, Gray’s agent then followed up a few weeks later. With the Bees still in the need for a striker after a number of deals falling through, Brentford made he decision to take sign him up.
As it was closed season so no-one actually watched him play live. He was meant to be the No 2 striker after Hogan who we had signed from Rochdale.
Andre Gray’s rise has been incredible.
If anything, it’s a real sign of how Brentford are getting things right these days.
The down side of that is we are also a victim of our own success.
I don’t believe for a minute that Andre Gray is the only Brentford player looking for higher wages now that we are a highly favoured championship side with the vultures circling around our players.
And no doubt, other teams will be constantly watching our every move – knowing that a very large percentage of the players that we have picked up over the past few years have turned to gold. Every time we go for a player, opposing teams and agents will use it as a bartering tool to either try and get the fee up or to get other teams interested.
That is only going to make Brentford’s job harder over the next few seasons. Everyone underestimated us last season. They’re not going to make that mistake again.
As for Andre Gray.
A talented player who got the move that he wanted.
Will Burnley be the right move for him? Only time will tell.
But with that kind of ambition, he will be undoubtedly driven to go onto do bigger and better things … no matter what team he is with.
Unfortunately for us … that won’t be with Brentford.
Saying that, I wish Andre every success in his career. He will no doubt go onto bigger and better things … even maybe with half an eye on a trip to Russia in 2018 maybe or Qatar in 2022.
Meanwhile, our guys will have to get back the drawing board – armed with a pocketful of cash – and find ourselves yet another jewel in the rough as we embark on our quest for Premier League action.
Billy Grant
@billythebee99
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You need to check your adding up – 6.25 + 3.75 does not come to 10.75!
Make that 6.25 + 3.5!
Burnley have a wage cap of £15k per week.
Excellent article Billy. Bees supporters must know that Beesotted has reliable sources and all the details you’ve passed on show that our business with Gray was great. Personally, I’m pleased we have a substantial sell-on should Andre follow Danny Ings onto an even bigger move.
Biggest loss u made was getting rid of Warburton, massive og as this no guy ain’t goin to do owt especially with all your best players leaving now!
Excellent, well written and researched article.
Right on the button. The bidding and subsequent sale of Gray is another massive complement to the growing success of Brentford.
We must never forget Brentford were a financial basket case before Benham took control. There was no other benefactor with the vision (and a true Brentford supporter) that was prepared to back his judgement like Benham has. He has poured millions into Brentford and reached the stage where maybe, just maybe, the structure is now in place for Brentford to be self funding so that the Premier League on a permanent basis is becoming a closer reality.
I think there is little doubt that Gray will be the first of a number of unpolished gems that will be identified, polished and onsold at a good price, as this truly wonderful football club develops into a footballing powerhouse.
Welcome Brentford to the reality of success in the upper echelons of British football – and long may it continue.
Spot on comments David, onward and upward Bees.
Just so you know, the Burnley press officer – a man who is in the know, Darren Bentley – commented during half time on Saturday’s ClaretsPlayer commentary, that “£9M is way off the mark, including add-ons. In fact, Burnley have doubled their previous transfer record, including everything, so there’s a little hint for you of the real fee.”
Since George Boyd and Stephen Fletcher both cost £3M, it seems likely that Gray cost a total of £6M and, since Burnley are renowned for being frugal and cautious with their spending, this is still an excellent fee for Brentford and an indication of Burnley’s intent over the medium, calculated term.
Enjoy spending it!
Did’nt know dont care and we will
Spot on as always Billy. Gray found out a lot about himself and the league last year, from what I have seen so far this season he has returned stronger and quicker. I am absolutely certain that Burnley have spent a fortune on a striker coming into real form who will score 20+ this year.
Confidence for any striker is critical, even when he was missing more than he got in the end of last year, his confidence never wained. A three year contract, but I will not be expected to see him move on to higher leagues before then…..that sell on agreement will be important.
Let’s hope we can replace quickly as this leaves a hole that will be hard to fill.
Just a couple of things.
Definitely a bigger club, in whatever criteria you’d care to measure it by. Gray has gone to a bigger club, who over the course of their history have demonstrated that yes, actually, they are more likely to get promoted or play at a higher level than what Brentford can achieve.
Second, tagline for this article via newsnow has Gray at 11m. When you arrive at the site it’s 10m. When you read the article it’s 9.75m.
All of Burnley’s transfers are undisclosed and as such, I know for a fact that you don’t know what the terms of the deal are, but suffice to say, it isn’t as much as you’re suggesting, likewise with the wage figures you’re plucking out of thin air.
Congrats on presenting a factual article to your readership that’s based on total factual inaccuracy. I hope it serves to fuel the validation you clearly need to feel.
This is not a slight at your article but just to put some things straight.
There are a couple of inaccuracies, other than that a great article giving a solely Brentford perspective.
The deal is £6.25m up front, that is correct.
The add ons I am afraid, don’t add up to anywhere near £9m (Never mind your 10m and 11m intimations) according to very good sources up here. Burnley will not buy if they don’t get value. The add ons are also linked to promotion.
Why have Burnley got a better deal than the rest?
The main factor (supposedly) is Frank McParland.
Gray had told Brentford he wants to join Burnley due to FM and out of the few that would stump up the cash that was the Burnley bargaining point.
Another point I wish to advise you on is that Burnley have a very strict wage structure. Even in the Premier League we didn’t pay more than £20k per week. We don’t buy players who want to come here for the money we want players that want to thrive, learn and enjoy their football. Burnley will NOT pay the wages that you have guessed/suggested.
Gray has signed for his career to progress not for the money or quite simply Dyche wouldn’t have signed him. I think it would be rude to actually talk about what Gray is actually being paid.
If thats the case what is the pull for Burnley?
Apart from FM and the fact we obviously have immediate Premier League ambition, players are understanding that Burnley have an outstanding record in progressing strikers careers. Burnley boy Jay Rodriguez, Danny Ings and Charlie Austin were all brought through the system as young up and coming players who went on to become Premier League players in their own right. Dyche knows how to get the best out of players. Probably a reason why your former loanee Chris Long has also signed from Everton.
And finally can I pull you up on the suggestion that no-one from Brentford watched Andre Gray play as it was the “off season”.
Do you really believe that?
When Frank McParland arrived at Burnley he used the Gray transfer as an example of what goes into scouting and how, when it is done properly, can come off and work massively in your favour.
The following is part of a piece in the Burnley Express last month.
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“And this isn’t the first time he (Frank McParland) has been challenged with replacing a club’s leading scorer. In his role as director of football at Griffin Park, where he worked alongside former Bees boss Mark Warburton last term, he replaced Clayton Donaldson with Andre Gray, a £600,000 signing from Luton Town.
McParland – who also identified Spurs winger Alex Pritchard and he was placed in the Championship’s team of the year while on loan at Brentford – acknowledges that finding another Gray for such a minimal price is an arduous, time-consuming assignment. But he’s willing to do some digging.
“It depends what club you’re at,” he said. “With the limited budget that I had I had to look around.
“Andre Gray, who we signed for £600,000, was unbelievable. There’s not many players like that now that you take a chance on for £300,000/£400,000 and they’re going to come through at a massive club like Burnley, play in the first team and score 20 goals.
“If they are out there, and we’ve done our work on them, then we can do it for sure. I think we’ll have to spend a little bit more than that on a striker though.”
He added: “With Andre we did a lot of work at Brentford on the stats and probably watched him live in seven, eight or nine games. We did a lot of background checks and followed him for about two or three months every game and every week before making a decision on him.
“That one really worked out well. What a great kid with a good attitude. I like people who want to play football and work really hard. I like similar players to what the manager likes.
“We’re not going to bring people in who toss it off. We want players who are totally behind what we want to do.”
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It was a brave decision by your chairman to get rid of Warburton and his staff. Burnley FC have certainly benefitted from it as Frank McParland has been nothing short of first class.
As a stalwart of the 1980’s (an awful time in Burnley FC history) I regularly attended 0-0 draws at Griffin Park 😉 and they hold a place in my heart of a time gone by when football used to be well…just football without the circus and money merry go round.
Good luck for the rest of the season and I really do hope its Burnley and Brentford who go up automatically.
Some good comments Longside but here’s a couple of facts Mark
Warburton was offered a new contract under the new management structure he saw out the rest of his contract and decided to walk away his choice. As for Mcparland he was promptly put on gardening leave when the news was broken to the press of Warburtons departure by a club insider,make your own conclusion on that one
Good stuff billy hope all our fans read this it will hopefully stop all of the negative crap put out there.By the way are you an independent fanzine?
To concur with the other guys on here, very insightful article, thanks Billy.
Interesting that we failed to find the net for the first time in a while yesterday though. We now need the back room staff to perform miracles and get a proven goalscorer into the club, and preferably someone up to speed in the English league (Nathan Bryne looked pretty good for Swindon last week!! 🙂 ). Ultimately, Nice bit of business for the Bees, but we now need to keep of our remaining assets otherwise our brand of football could be in danger of walking out the door with the players
I think we will loose more off r old players and they will only bring in over seas players I have been a supporter 4 over 50 years and appreciate benhams backing but I believe he has made a big mistake in the system he is using and we will not see the class off football again as we did under warburton and I can only see us going back 2 the 1st division and a lot less supporters heart has gone out off the club most season tickets were sold on the vision off just strengthening what players we all ready had I don’t believe they would have sold as many season tickets otherwise
For gods sake give it a chance Another staggering negative comment only three games into the season, i like you have supported the bees for over 50 years, i for one surely like you know that patience is a virtue, start moaning after 10 to 15 games. Onward and hopefully upward Bees, even if we don’t its not the end of the world is it, at least now at long last we are a well run football club.
Here Here malbee. I have been a supporter for a mere 30 odd years so not as long as you guys 🙂
I for one am disappointed that Warbs, and Mark for that matter have gone; last season should have been a huge cause for celebration but somehow some of the glory was lost with the knowledge that we’ll be looking for another manager…HOWEVER…without these shocking injuries to key players at the start of this season, I reckon we weren’t far off having an even stronger side. Time will tell on Marinus, but he has to be supported by all of us. He seems another decent bloke, had a fantastic season last season with a minnow club (we might be small, but not minnows!) and needs time to bed down, particularly when players are disappearing all over the place for various different reasons. I don’t think we’ll have as successful a season as last (happy to be proved wrong there!), however with the investments I think mid table security is more than achievable, and I do believe the Bees will kick on with continued careful investment in the foreseeable future. So I’ll be there with you Malbee, cheering them on and hoping we aren’t a team full of cheap foreign imports (though having some unknowns adds interest for me).