Said Benrahma’s stunning Championship displays at Brentford have led to talk about a reunion with Dean Smith at Premier League Aston Villa.
Get through the January transfer window unscathed and fourth-place Brentford could soon be playing Premier League football for the very first time. That, however, is easier said than done.
Chris Mepham, Andre Gray, Jota, Neal Maupay, Romaine Sawyers, John Egan; these are just a few of the players who made their name at Griffin Park before moving onto bigger and arguably better things with the Londoners becoming somewhat accustomed to losing their star players on an annual basis.
And as long as Said Benrahma continues to twist Championship full-backs in knots before leaving unsuspecting goalkeepers grasping at thin air, one of the most naturally gifted footballers in England’s second tier will have an almost permanent residence in the gossip columns.
According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is planning to raid his old employers next month with a £20 million-rated Algerian wing wizard in his sights.
Brentford would be loathe to lose a genuine match-winner who, alongside Ollie Watkins and Bryan Mbeumo, has formed arguably the league’s most fearsome strikeforce. But maybe The Bees and the Villans can come to some sort of an agreement.
According to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, Thomas Frank’s promotion-chasing Bees are big fans of Aston Villa starlet Andre Green and feel that the winger, despite his struggles on loan at league rivals Preston North End, would be a valuable addition to their ranks.
This should get the cogs whirring at Villa Park. Green, like Benrahma, is a speedy wideman who loves nothing more than leaving full-backs baffled and beaten. A ready-made replacement he might well be.
And with Aston Villa crying out for a player capable of turning defeats into draws, draws into wins, they could do a lot worse than offer Green as part of a cash-plus-player deal which might just see Benrahma move in the other direction.
Everybody wins.
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