‘Brilliant addition’: Manager reacts after reportedly beating Celtic and Leeds to £3m move

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Celtic and Rangers reportedly wanted Shandon Baptiste but the alleged Leeds United target has joined Thomas Frank’s Brentford instead.

Brentford coach Thomas Frank feels Shandon Baptiste will be a ‘brilliant addition’ to his squad after the Bees fought off competition from the likes of Celtic and Leeds United for the Oxford star.

It is hard to imagine how deadline day could have gone much worse for Oxford. The League One promotion hopefuls lost two of their star attackers to Brentford with exciting winger Tariqe Fosu following the coveted Baptiste to Griffin Park, leaving their hopes of Championship football in serious doubt.

The latter, a 21-year-old Granada international, had been a revelation at the Kassam this season with four goals and four assists under his belt.

Baptiste shot to fame during that 4-0 thrashing of West Ham in the EFL Cup while notching stunning efforts against both Lincoln and Hartlepool, highlighting his dazzling close control and fearsome power.

According to talkSPORT, Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers were both interested in a fleet-footed midfielder with a wonderful range of passing and a thunderbolt shot. Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds were keen too, only to be beaten to the punch by their Championship promotion rivals.

“Shandon will be a brilliant addition to our squad. He has great one-on-one skills in the middle of the pitch,” Frank told Brentford’s official website of the new £3 million man.

“He is energetic, great on the ball and works very hard pressing when we do not have it. When we scouted him he looked like a Brentford player and it is great that we now have him as part of our squad.”

Brentford’s gain is undoubtedly Leeds, Celtic and Rangers’ loss.

Ask any Oxford fan and they will tell you that Baptiste is a player with the world at his feet and, given the way so many young players have progressed at Brentford in recent years, don’t be surprised if he is soon one of the most influential players anywhere in the Championship.