The sky is the limit for reported Arsenal and Leicester City target Said Benrahma, with Brentford team-mate Henrik Dalsgaard telling West London Sport that a ‘tricky’ winger is almost impossible to stop when in full flow.
Inspired by their ‘Moneyball’ principles, the Bees have put together a squad of players that the great Billy Beane would be proud of at Griffin Park.
And, alongside Bryan Mbeumo and the prolific Ollie Watkins, Benrahma has taken the Championship by storm since moving to the English capital from Nice for a pocket-change fee.
With his mesmeric dribbling skills and eye for the spectacular, the Algeria international has been likened to a certain Lionel Messi by former Brentford team-mate Sam Saunders, speaking to Sky Sports.
And Dalsgaard is well placed to add to the glowing praise heading in Benrahma’s direction, having been given the runaround in training on a regular basis by a man linked with Arsenal, West Ham, Leicester and Aston Villa by FootMercato last month.
“He is such a tricky player; you don’t know where you have him. You think you have him locked in a corner and then he gets out,” says the Denmark international defender.
“I think it’s the combinations he does with the other guys up front – it’s so hard to manage him. If he can focus completely and get a little bit more determination, I think he can take (his career) quite far.”
Brentford are expected to demand around £30 million for Benrahma this summer and, in truth, Thomas Frank’s side will know that any hopes they have of keeping arguably the Championship’s most gifted player rests on the next few weeks.
If the Bees are promoted, then maybe he could be convinced to stick around for another 12 months.
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