Brentford striker Scott Hogan is wanted by West Ham United.
Brentford’s co-director of football Phil Giles has told Get West London that striker Scott Hogan is ‘completely distracted’ amid West Ham’s attempts to sign him.
Hogan, 24, ended last season with seven goals in seven games having missed almost the entire season through injury, and has continued his goalscoring exploits this term with 14 goals in 26 games for the Bees.
The pacey attacker has enjoyed a meteoric rise from non-league football in recent years, but his goalscoring record means that he’s the subject of intense speculation.
Brentford’s Scott Hogan scores
West Ham United – desperately searching for a new striker – are in pursuit of Hogan, and talks have been going on between the two clubs for weeks in an attempt to thrash out a deal before this month’s transfer deadline.
Most recently, Sky Sports reported that the deal was being held up by a disagreement over add-ons, as whilst the clubs had agreed on an initial fee of £9million, West Ham were only willing to pay an additional £3million, where as Brentford wanted £6million.
Brentford’s Scott Hogan celebrates their first goal
That leaves Hogan in limbo, and he hasn’t played for Brentford since the 2nd of January, pulling out of the Brentford side for recent games as speculation continues to surround a move to the London Stadium.
Now, Brentford’s co-director of football Phil Giles has commented on the situation, and has told Get West London that Hogan is ‘completely distracted’ by the transfer talk, but doesn’t blame him for the situation at all.
Giles suggested that Hogan pulled out of the squad to face Wigan Athletic on Saturday as he had heard that things were moving in the right direction regarding a move to West Ham, and suggested that the situation is ‘out of control’ as Bees manager Dean Smith needs to make plans for games, and Hogan’s future being unclear is a major qualm for the Brentford boss
“Before the Newcastle game, Scott was meant to be involved. On Friday night, he got a call saying a club were going to make a bid. It’ll be done on Saturday night,” said Giles. “He’s completely distracted – it’s not his fault but his focus is not on the game anymore.
“This week, he trains all week. He had a slightly tight hamstring. He was going to be involved – the same thing last night happened. He got a call saying there were things moving and he got a call and I got a call. No criticism of Scott. He wants to play and needs to play. It’s unfair on him and Dean who is trying to make plans for the game today. The whole thing is completely out of control. The whole system needs looking at. All clubs are getting affected by this,” he added.
Would you like to see West Ham sign Hogan?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
