By Christian Evans.
Having failed to win promotion to the Premier League, Brentford face five uncertain weeks as they fear the loss of their feared BMW front line.
Said Benramha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Ollie Watkins all played integral roles last season as the West London club came agonisingly close to a Premier League berth, falling just short at Wembley against Fulham in the playoff final.
Benramha, Mbeumo and Watkins scored 58 goals between them to power the Bees to a third-place finish this. The club’s hierarchy are reportedly dreading the break up of BMW.
Although others namely Mbeumo, Rico Henry, Pontus Jansson, and David Raya, could be on the move, it feels more likely than their two biggest assets, Benramha and Watkins, will be on the move amid Premier League interest.
Brentford Likely To Lose Watkins & Benramha
Watkins will likely be available for around £18m this summer after his buyout clause was activated. However, rumours surrounding this clause were quickly downplayed by Brentford.
The forward has been in outstanding form the club this season, scoring 26 goals and finishing just behind Aleksandar Mitrovic in the Championship Golden Boot race.
Crystal Palace are one of the clubs expected to be interested in the striker. It is also no secret Palace boss Roy Hodgson is looking to bolster his front line.
The Eagles almost signed the Brentford star for £10m last season. However, interest from Aston Villa feels strong, especially with a number of links connecting Watkins to Villa Park.
Firstly, Villa boss Dean Smith worked with the forward during his time at Brentford and is looking for another striker. Villa, who just avoided relegation, are looking for another forward after both Wesley and Mbwana Samatta struggled to find the back of the net last season. Smith could also go back to his old club for Benramha too.
The Algerian international contributed 17 goals and eight assists this season. The winger has made no secret of his desire to play at the top level. Like Watkins, he worked under Smith and enjoying his time playing for the Villa boss.
Selling Benrahma would continue a trend of Brentford’s exceptional transfer model. The club locate unknown talents using sophisticated data models, before developing them and selling them for a sizeable profit. The situation will likely be similar to what happened with Neal Maupay, who joined Brighton for £19m last summer.
Nevertheless, Brentford are assured of a significant profit, and though losing their stars may initially seem catastrophic, the club’s transfer model has shown they can continue to find diamonds in the rough.