Brentford believe that Said El Mala’s agent has an ‘ulterior motive’ with her rejection of the club despite a €50m move being agreed.
Sport BILD report on the 19-year-old Cologne winger today and how Brentford remain suspicious that a move to Brighton and Hove Albion could still be on the cards.
Brentford suspicion
The newspaper explains that Said El Mala is currently training alone ahead of pre-season as he looks to build on a big debut season in the Bundesliga. For now, it appears he will be staying with Cologne.
Reports have linked him with a move away from the club for months. Brighton have wanted him last summer but were turned away, refusing to match Cologne’s €50m asking price.
Brentford were willing to pay that fee and thought they had wrapped a deal up. But they also faced rejection as El Mala’s agent, his mother Sabrina, ‘called off the transfer’ at the last minute.
That certainly surprised Brentford as the player had ‘given manager Keith Andrews’ his word. Sport Witness have since covered a report stating it was the player who turned the club down.
The Bees are suspicious of the decision. They believe that Sabrina ‘had an ulterior motive’ and a move to Brighton will soon gain momentum again. That said, when a mother acts as agent there often appears a media tendency to present her a bad light.
Brighton second bid?
Brentford had done everything they could to get the deal over the line, including offering up to €5m per year in salary. That is more than Brighton had offered originally.
What Brentford’s suspicion may be, isn’t made clear. The suggestion is that they have been used to drive Brighton to pay more.
But it hasn’t worked as yet. Sport BILD report that there has been no word of a renewed bid at Cologne. That’s despite head of recruitment Tim Steidten enjoying excellent contacts in England.
The German side are now planning for Said El Mala to be in their squad next season. That is how much the interest in the youngster isn’t turning into concrete bids as yet.
