A revelation of French football when he was younger, Neal Maupay only just turned 21 three months ago, yet the Brentford striker already has five years of first-team experience under his belt.
Emerging at Nice, the young forward also played for Brest and Saint-Etienne before moving to Championship over the summer in a transfer few understood.
Signing a four-year contract with the Bees, Maupay has slowly but surely adapted to the rigours of lower league football, scoring three goals and picking up an assist in his last seven appearances.
In an interview with So Foot in France, the Brentford striker explained his decision to move from Ligue 1 to the Championship.
He said: “At Saint-Etienne, the coach, Oscar Garcia, told me I wouldn’t be his number one striker. He wanted me to stay, but he couldn’t promise me game time. He said: ‘Honestly, I would go find a club where I could play and develop’. So I didn’t take the risk of having a season there without playing.
“Brentford is a club that pays attention to its players, that recruits carefully and is trying to have a real project. They aren’t a big Championship club, but, without financial excess, they’re trying to go up a level. I was seduced by the project. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I feel really happy here.”
Admitting that when he first heard of their offer, he had no idea where Brentford was, Maupay has quickly made the town his home, enjoying everything it has to offer, including its many restaurants.
With six goals and two assists in 22 appearances, he’s still got a lot of room to improve, but he knows this, and that’s why he’s there.
Oh, and, if you were wondering, he’s really annoyed about a particular miss against Cardiff.
How did it happen? “I can’t really explain it. We got the ball back, there’s no goalkeeper, I took my time. I analysed the situation. I saw the defender, but when I went to shoot, I changed my mind”.
