Any lingering, outside hopes of a Sergi Canos return to Griffin Park look dead and buried after Liverpool accepted a £2.5 million bid from Norwich City – the same fee offered by Bristol City. According to reports in the Liverpool Echo, Canos has been stalling on a move to Ashton Gate, however, The Canaries have emerged favourites as they look to find a replacement for Southampton-bound Nathan Redmond and bounce back to the Prem at the first time of asking, again.
Canos’ season in the Brentford shop window certainly didn’t go unnoticed elsewhere, and although many Bees fans were hoping that the young Spanish forward could be persuaded to pull on a red and white shirt again as we look to build upon the exciting end to the last campaign, that seems simply wishful thinking.
The player’s attitude and all round enthusiasm have rightly earned Sergi the utmost respect of the Bees faithful, and although Jurgen Klopp handed the player his full Liverpool debut in the final Premier League game of last season at West Brom, to guarantee regular first team football, a move away from Anfield always looked on the cards – it’s a shame it won’t be to Brentford though.
The loss of Jota last season was a big blow, one that was partially diluted with Canos’ loan arrival, and few will ever forget the player’s world class winning goal at Reading (click the video link below) over Christmas. Canos is without doubt a hugely gifted and likeable player and we all hope he continues to achieve his ambitions in the game.
And, as you’ll hear in the Pride of West London Beesotted end of season Podcast, there were some glowing words of wisdom shared.
Like it or not, Brentford’s place in the Championship pecking order is clear, for the time being at least we are seen as a stepping stone, a place where you come to prove your worth, then move on to the big money when a parachute money club comes sniffing. It is certainly not ideal, but as we continue to acclimatise, and having studies the accounts in detail on Beesotted, there seems little alternative in the short term.
These sentiments were underlined in Daniel Bentley’s arrival interview on the official Brentford website in which the new goalie admitted; “The club has a history in terms of bringing through younger players, and giving younger players a chance. This club offers a stepping stone to playing at a fantastic level.”
Perhaps a little too honest on his first day, and before he’d even made a save for Brentford, but the way we’ve let players move on, also helps in attracting quality replacements, that can’t be overlooked.
But how we solve this issue and start to hold on to our better players while balancing the finances remains the Catch 22 question.
Dave Lane
@beesotted100
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Thing is Dave,Bentley,Sawyers and Eagan ,they were linked with several other clubs and all chose to join the Bees because of the clubs policy of bringing on young talented players and not standing in there way when the fee is right, and the player wants to leave. This policy is also serving us well in the loan market, with other clubs wanting there youngsters to come and play for us, ie Canos,Bidwell,Forshaw,Pritchard ect,so whats not to like,and long may it continue.
Getting the best quality and value that you can, for the money you have available, seems a decent adage in life and at GP too. We all have to temper the emotional attachments that we form with our footballers in the modern game, they are employees first. It’s a hard lesson for me to have to learn and once in a while you do get a Terry Evans / KOC that comes along, they are rare but beautiful exceptions. So long as anyone wearing a Bees shirt puts in the effort I’ve no issue with us being a stepping stone, if it helps us to progress too. Spurs was a stepping stone for Bale, Southampton is the very definition of this now. It’s all relative.
I would truly love to see Sergi back at GP, but not if the terms are out of reach or stacked in the selling club’s / player’s favour. Wouldn’t it be great if we could resolve the situation with Jota and have him back for another season – I know it’s unlikely but we can dream.
The Bentley comment, while disappointing, requires Bees fans to accept the situation with a certain amount of realism. It was prevalent before, but has been amplified further following the success of Jamie Vardy – lower league players can get to the Premier League if they are careful and chose their ‘stepping stones’ carefully. Andre Gray’s success typifies that. Bentley, Egan, Sawyers (whilst we might not like it) can look to a long list of Bees players from the last 2-3 years that will now be playing at the highest level (and a handful players at the Euros too). ‘Bigger clubs’ (Derby, Leeds, Birmingham) do not have that record at the moment, so we are the more attractive option. It is not ideal, but a reality that we must accept.
As much as I might agree with the previous posts, I am really starting to get concerned that if we continue to just be a “stepping stone” club, will Brentford ever succeed in achieving the goal of promotion if we are continuously changing players when a large enough bid comes along. At some point you surely have to draw a line in the sand and just go for it? The three new players might prove to be strewed signings but I still feel we need a marque signing or two that proves to the fans that Brentford are serious about being real contenders.
Just rejoice in the fact that we are more than holding our own with clubs in the championship with revenue streams far in excess of ours.
Just to add, as loyal fans we’d be best served by channeling much of the affection that we have for our players directly on to the club. It’s how i now feel anyway. We can admire and like our players, but we love this club. Buy your ST’s, merch etc, and spend that little extra with BFC if you can. I think we can do this in the knowledge that it 100% appreciated and genuinely helping us to compete on the pitch.
The only way we’ll realistically be able to hold on to players in the medium to long term would be to make it to the Premier league, and that will be difficult (not impossible!) not just because there are 24 other teams all with bigger budgets than us, but because we keep having to build a new squad every season when the bigger clubs come sniffing. That’s the challenge for MB and DS. That said, as people have mentioned, because of our policy, it does give us a slightly better chance of unearthing the odd gold nugget or two. So it’s swings and roundabouts. Couple that with our new ground / facilities / budget in the near future, that may change a little
We should reflect on how positive it is that we are seen as a place where young players get their chance and are developed through excellent coaching so they can move on to play at clubs with genuine premier league ambitions. Moses and Andre getting into the PL only reinforces this view. It reflects how far we as a club have come in recent years and how progressive we are. Let’s celebrate that.
Add Tarks and Forshaw to that PL list.
I wonder if Glasgow rangers’s supporters have got over selling us Lewis Mccleod yet ?
Pretty much all clubs, other than the very biggest on the global stage are selling clubs or stepping stones. The reality is that if a player wants a move they get one these days, player / agent power really cannot be underestimated, and clubs that stand in the way of a want away player will find it harder to attract new talent. So we now try to make this work for us, nobody leaves on the cheap anymore, players are allowed to further their careers or increase earnings, but only when our conditions are met. This in turn shows potential recruits the grown up realistic approach at BFC. Recently some Bees players have not looked back once outside interest was shown in them, but we held out for the right deal. Conversely we have taken back some of the power by making replacement signings whilst players consider new contract offers made by BFC. Allowing us to recycle the squad with younger talent with improved sell on value. Possibly this has happened with JB/DB, regardless, contract management is now a very critical function of the DoF’s role.
This all works so long as our incoming recruitment is done well, and the squad continues to improve and BFC remains competitive and progresses.
I had my concerns and criticisms last season, mainly at the pace of change and the quality of incoming recruitment. We came through 2 bruising transfer windows and all learned a lot from this period, and are in a far better place now. The division is getting tougher, but by following “our way” i’m now very optimistic about our prospects.
Although disappointed to see bidwell leave it probably right to cash in or we would have got nothing for him when contract expires hopefully squad does well and contine to surprise the doubters ie the press u never know just look at Leicester city we can only dream will judge dean Smith and squad at end of season come on you Bees!