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Billy “TheBee” Grant compares Adam Forshaw’s 2014 Brentford exit with Yoane Wissa’s 2025 standoff. Same story, a player refusing to play a decade apart but this time, the stakes are so much higher. Then it was Wigan’s lowball bids. Now it’s £40m Premier League valuations.

The James Tarkowski strike in 2017 is often remembered as the moment a Brentford player started refusing to honour contracts to force transfers, but it was in fact Adam Forshaw’s lesser-known strike in 2014 that was the first real case of player rebellion for modern day Brentford

I was digging through the Beesotted archives the other day and stumbled across this gem from 2014 (click here)  — Adam Forshaw downing tools to force a move to Wigan. It was like a case of déjà vu. And it hit me… 11 years on, nothing’s really changed. Except, of course, absolutely everything has.

Yoane Wissa’s refusal to train as he pushes for a move to Newcastle has reopened old wounds for Brentford supporters. For many, it brings back memories of the Adam Forshaw saga in 2014 — the first time a Brentford player openly refused to play to force a transfer.

The parallels are striking. But the differences, and the lessons Brentford have learned along the way, are just as telling.

The Adam Forshaw Saga (2014)

 

Adam Forshaw’s move from Brentford to Wigan Athletic was one of the first messy transfer episodes of the Matthew Benham era.

Fresh from promotion to the Championship, Brentford had secured key players like Forshaw on long-term deals. Selling was never in the plan. But Wigan — led by former Bees boss Uwe Rosler — came knocking with bids of £1.5m and £1.8m, laughably short of Brentford’s £6m valuation. To make matters worse, Everton held a 50% sell-on clause, meaning the Bees would pocket only half the fee.

When Forshaw refused to play, it cut deep. Supporters felt betrayed. “We’d just been promoted, we’d built a squad to survive, and now our best young midfielder was sulking his way out,” was the mood around Griffin Park.

Mark Warburton and Matthew Benham stood firm, branding Wigan’s conduct unprofessional and refusing to be bullied. Eventually, a compromise fee of around £2.5m was struck. It wasn’t what Brentford wanted but the club only had so much power in this negotiation so the club took the money and moved on – focussing their efforts on the team reaching the playoffs that season. Forshaw later admitted he had “got it wrong” — he lasted four months at Wigan before moving on again.

For Brentford, the damage was emotional more than financial. It was a harsh wake-up call to life as an ambitious Championship club.

Wissa Goes On Strike (2025)

Fast forward 11 years and history feels like it’s repeating itself — only on a bigger stage.

Yoane Wissa has refused to train, removed all Brentford references from his social media, and made it clear he wants out, with Newcastle the likely destination. The standoff has been far more public than Forshaw’s, amplified by the glare of the Premier League and the megaphone of social media.

Brentford’s stance is familiar: they’ve rejected bids of £25m, are holding out for closer to £40m, and won’t let Wissa go without both the right fee and a replacement in place. He has been left out of the squad at Nottingham Forest but has since been spotted back in training, suggesting a tense stand-off rand a realisation from the player that he has to continue to train and play to keep his value up to eventually get a move away from the club, whenever that may be

 

Forshaw vs. Wissa: A Then-and-Now Comparison

Background

Forshaw: Refused to play after Wigan’s low-ball bids. Sidelined by Brentford until terms were agreed.

Wissa: Has refused to train. Has isolated himself from the squad. Has openly declared he wants to leave.

Public Stance

Forshaw: Low-profile. No social media storm. The club quietly removed him from the squad.

Wissa: Highly visible. Deleted socials. Skipped pre-season. Forced the issue into the headlines.

Club Response

Forshaw: Brentford branded Wigan’s bids “totally unacceptable”.  Held firm. Eventually cut a deal.

Wissa: Brentford have rejected multiple offers. Stood by their valuation. Signed Dango Ouattara to bolster the attack.

Outcome & Reflection

Forshaw: Sold for less than Brentford wanted. The player admitted regret and that he made the wrong move

Wissa: Saga ongoing. If Newcastle meet the asking price and Brentford can find a replacement in time, he’ll go. If not, Brentford will keep him. Either way, Brentford — now an established Premier League club, are financially much better off than when they were battling with Wigan and can afford to hold their ground if they so wish. They hold all the cards.

Fan Reaction: Déjà Vu, But Different

The fan voices from 2014 and 2025 tell the story.

2014 – Forshaw (Griffin Park Grapevine forum)

BeeInTheKnow – Aug 20, 2014 – 9:42 AM

  “Forshaw refusing to play. Two years left on his contract, new deal signed not long ago, and now Wigan tap him up. Absolute disgrace.”

WestStandBee – Aug 20, 2014 – 10:05 AM

  Originally Posted by BeeInTheKnow

  Forshaw refusing to play. Two years left… disgrace

“Spot on. £1.5m and £1.8m bids?? Wigan are taking the mick. League One POTY and they think they can nick him on the cheap.”

GriffinFaithful – Aug 20, 2014 – 10:22 AM

  “This was meant to be our big Championship season. Forshaw’s tantrum has unsettled the whole squad. Whelan and Rosler know exactly what they’re doing.”

OldSchoolBee – Aug 20, 2014 – 11:03 AM

  “Feels like DJ Campbell déjà vu, but Benham isn’t letting us get rolled over this time. Fair play for standing firm.”

BeeLine – Aug 21, 2014 – 8:18 PM

  “Still gutted though. Forshaw had the chance to be a legend here. Instead he’s sulking his way to Wigan.”

SouthStandLad – Aug 22, 2014 – 9:14 AM

  “Rosler was meant to love this club. Instead he’s unsettling our best player before a ball’s even kicked. Grim.”

2025 – Wissa (Beesotted Fan Forum)

BeesPremier – Aug 15, 2025 – 9:47 AM

  “Now it’s Wissa refusing to train. Deleted Brentford from his socials. Right before the season starts. Same circus, bigger stage.”

ThomasFranksArmy – Aug 15, 2025 – 10:01 AM

  “Don’t forget — this is the guy who scored in Europe for us. He owes us respect, not a strike.”

MoneyballBee – Aug 15, 2025 – 10:16 AM

  “£25m? £35m? Nope. Club’s right to hold out for £50m. If Newcastle don’t cough up, let him rot in the U23s.”

GriffinParkGhost – Aug 15, 2025 – 11:40 AM

  “This hurts worse than Forshaw. That was Wigan. Now it’s the Prem, Newcastle sniffing around, and Wissa downs tools. Betrayal.”

LionelBee – Aug 15, 2025 – 12:10 PM

  “Can’t lie… I get why he’s tempted. Double the wages, big club. But refusing to train is unforgivable.”

WestLondonBee – Aug 15, 2025 – 12:42 PM

  “The irony… Forshaw refused to play to leave Brentford. Wissa refuses to play to leave Brentford. Shows how far we’ve come.”

BeeTimeTraveller – Aug 15, 2025 – 1:30 PM

  “Forshaw saga was our wake-up call. Wissa saga is proof we’ve arrived. The difference? Back then it was about holding onto a Champ lad. Now we’re demanding £50m for a Prem striker. Huge progress.”

ForeverBee – Aug 15, 2025 – 2:12 PM

  “Players come and go. Brentford keep rising. We survived Forshaw, we’ll survive Wissa. Trust the process.”

NorthStandOptimist – Aug 15, 2025 – 3:55 PM

  “Exactly. Remember the panic when Forshaw left? We just kept climbing. Same thing here. New hero will step up.”

 

Conclusion: Same Pain, Bigger Stakes

The Forshaw saga was Brentford’s baptism of fire in the Championship. The Wissa standoff shows how far the club has come.

Back then, it was about holding on to a League One Player of the Year. Now it’s about extracting £40m for a Premier League forward.

Back then, Forshaw’s refusal to play felt like a hammer blow. Now, Wissa’s strike stings, but few doubt the club will adapt and move on.

The disappointment is sharper

The spotlight is brighter

But the end game is much bigger


Billy Grant
@BillyTheBee99