It’s the news that we’ve all dreaded, while at the same time, knew was inevitable at some stage since the transfer window reopened this summer… namely, King Jota being linked with a move away from Griffin Park.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that in the form Jota has been in since his return from Eibar, the goals and assists stats, not to mention some of the delicious piss taking of defenders (and Jake Bidwell) we’ve witnessed, other clubs were bound to come-a-sniffing.
We had spoken at length on several occasions on the Beesotted Pride of West London Podcast (click link below) regarding the likelihood of the Blackburn Rovers season finale back in May possibly being his last appearance for the club, and had reassured ourselves that, in all likelihood, Jota would be back in a Bees shirt for 2017/18 as his career really needs a period of stability after a distracting couple of seasons. Brentford is where he is truly loved, we allow his artistry and confidence to flourish. But as true as that is, we all know that money talks, especially Premier League sized wedge.
Admittedly, Dean Smith’s comments on the transfer rumours won’t have reassured fans one little bit that Jota will remain at Griffin Park, there was a lot of honestly in what the gaffer said, but a large slice of reality was served up too.
Jota has apparently ‘pledged’ not to move to another Championship side in an act of John Terry-like ‘manners’, and the words ‘massive’ was used when describing the sum of money Brenrford would accept if they reluctantly have to sell their prized asset. However, £8m has also been bandied around in some circles. With a single years’ contract in place, is that all we can expect in reality? We all agree that would be on the light side, but considering where we all were a year ago, with the player languishing in Spain and a return to GP about as likely as Camilla from Love Island cracking a joke, I’d say £10m would be a miracle with only one year to go.
Some fans have already started to question the club’s ambitions if we do indeed wave bye bye to Jota, querying how much BFC ‘want it’, but surely we can all see that, in all reality, once heads have been turned by the Prem, and agents go into overdrive, there’s precious little the Bees can do. How many times have we seen exactly that in the past three years?
The club would have already offered an improved longer term deal before making do with the contracted year’s extension, and if you break the wage structure now, or even suggest it, the cat’s then out of the bag and there will be a queue of other players forming outside Phil Giles’ (Brentford Director of Football) training ground port-a-cabin or huge wage demands next time a contract is up for renegotiation.
An impressive 600 Brenrford fans voted in the Beesotted Twitter poll this weekend’s snap vote: with 57% believing Jota would leave the club this transfer window, and the remaining 43% split between his him staying (28%), or staying but only until January (15%).
Jota knows all about the club’s aspirations and the undoubted quality of many of the players that surround him in training… he loves Brentford Football Club and it’s fans, but those sentiments will pale into relative insignificance when £40k per week is tabled by a Swansea, or a Southampton, or a Bournemouth, or a West Ham… even maybe even a Burnley. Fact.
The way Brentford FC have treated the player has been admirable, it’s why there is a year’s extension in the first place remember, and we have always placed the player’s welfare at the heart of every situation, so perhaps allowing Jota to once again ponder his career long term options whilst having fun with the lads on their preseason training camp is perfect timing. Who knows? I’ve become a bit of a realist in my old age (not that bloody old you cheeky sods) but we all must live in hope sometimes.
You don’t really need me to waste thumb taps explaining what I hope happens, but if you are interested, I’ll be going on a long Sunday walk today dreaming of a freshly signed three year Brentford deal with Jota’s signature on it, ahead of the most rousing ovation at Sheffield United in a few week’s time.
But if that’s simply not possible, I personally don’t think it would have been for the lack of trying or due to any lack of manners. But we shall see.
Dave Lane
@beesotted100
Please share your thoughts on the Jota rumours by leaving a comment below.
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
CastBox
Acast
TuneIn
Google Podcasts
It was always thus Dave – at least in recent years. The ‘little’ teams get plundered by the bigger ones…who in turn get plundered by the much bigger ones in the fullness of time. Whether this will continue to be the pattern in years to come depends very much on the club boards and how much they’re prepared to allow their own greed and that of players’ agents to hold sway…. Innit…?
This is also our model – we have embraced it and that’s why we’ve been clever with the year extension, and why we’ve been able to cash in on the likes of Andre Gray and Scott Hogan.
We know we can’t play the big boys at their own game and that’s why we make the statistical, bargain basement signings.
I’m quite happy for us to keep doing what we’re doing and then, hopefully, an opportunity will arise for a shot at the big time. This season will be a big ask (with or without Jota) and we are better placed cutting our cloth accordingly until we’re in the new stadium, I reckon.
That’s not to say that we give up before the season starts – if we end up in the top half come January, I’m sure Matthew and the team will be checking their formulas and making a few calculated gambles. We just don’t want to go for broke and end up bust as a result. Here’s to another top 10 finish!
A good read Dae, it is a shame that it is all down to Money at the end of the day, not just at Brentford, its the same in all the Leagues, that is how Manchester City got into the top ten a few years ago, unfortunately even for them, once you spend Millions of Pounds on Players you have to Pay even more Millions of Pounds to stay where you are and it is the smaller Clubs that have to struggle, unless they themselves get taken over by somebody who has Millions of cash just laying around …all very nice for those who can afford it, but in reality it is the fans who have to suffer the cost and sooner or later it will only be possible to possible to watch what the TV Companies Sponsors want you to see, Money Rules the World, gone are the days when Football consisted of Amateurs and Professional Players who were a lot more loyal to their Clubs which vanished when the maximum wage of players went from £8 to £100 a week, and on now to infinity , i used to be a season ticket Holder for many years, but find it impossible to be one these days due to being a senior citizen whose income does not allow it, but for what it is worth i have supported the club since i was born in 1941 (my 1st words (thanks to my Uncle a Bees season ticket holder no longer with us ) teaching me to say “Up the Bees” whenever i saw him, which i still say today 76 years on. once again thanks for the read
Jota is an important part of the team,with the current squad we have a great opportunity of making the premier league,he could sign a 2 year deal if we haven’t made promotion move next year.
Don’t know what to think I be more gutted if we lost dean or woods
Sad but true in this day and age all you can do is appreciate what you have in the moment bacause when big money calls off any player goes jota ,o’mara hurlock the list goes on but we are bees and we will go on
I’m a regular listener to the pod cast and remember the discussion when rumours started flying around that a recall on the King was a possibilty. The talk was that if he came back would he be the same, would he ruin his previous reputation by not being anywhere near as good as he was the first time, will we get a transfer fee from him as he wasn’t performing for Eibar? So IF he does go and we get £8m + and unlike Scott Hogan he actually does move to the PL (and therefore we don’t have to play against him…yet!) then again in the cold light of day that is a good deal for the Bees. I appreciate he’s a special player, not just in ability but how he galvanises the team and fans alike. I thought long and hard about getting “Jota” printed on my shirt for Christ sake!! But if we invest that money wisely like we seem to be doing more often than not then this King might be dead (to us), but as the saying goes, long live the King (anyone seen a Youtube of Marcus Maddison at Peterborough?). As a matter of interest i went to see the Bees v the Shots (pretty local team to me) and i thought Dalsgaard in particular looked a v decent addition to the squad. Roll on 2017/2018 regardless of what happens in the next few weeks. CoYBs.
Yes the deredided window !! A time for Bees fans to hold their breath and then relize the inevitable, jota is a special player and one of the best I have seen wear the Brentford shirt ! And on top of that the rumours going around about a bid for Woods almost on the table it would be easy to get angry and disillusioned about the direction of the club ? but over the thirty plus years I have watched the mighty Bees, I have come to expect that players will come and go! Brentford have bought well over the last few years and a few diamonds have emerged, so hopefully when jota moves on, a hidden gem can be found again, keep the faith ! And just lastly I would like to wish Peter Gillham a speedy recovery !he is a great man and a Bees legend, we are all with you Peter. Up the mighty beeeeeeeeeees.