Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo has claimed that he sees his move to Griffin Park as a stepping stone for a move into the Premier League at a later date.

Mbuemo only joined the Bees from French side Troyes during the summer transfer window following the departure of Neal Maupay, who himself has made the step up to the top flight with Brighton after two seasons with Brentford.

It has been an encouraging start to life in the Championship for Mbuemo, who has made five league appearances for Thomas Frank's side, scoring one goal and assisting another, but it seems the 20-year-old is already thinking about progressing his career further.

Speaking in an interview in a print edition of newspaper L'Est Eclair in his native France about his move to Griffin Park, Mbeumo said: “Brentford, it’s a nice opportunity. I liked everything over there: the project, the infrastructure… It’s true that it’s a league that makes you dream, but my ambition is greater, it’s to get to the Premier League."

Asked whether he thought he would be capable of making that step up, the striker claimed: “Is the Championship the best stepping stone for that? Yes. We’ve already seen Neal Maupay this summer. I didn’t hesitate to go there.”

Brentford currently sit 14th in the early Championship standings, after winning two and drawing one of their opening six league games, and are next in action when they travel to Deepdale to face Preston on Saturday afternoon.

The Verdict

I'm not entirely sure how Brentford fans will feel about this.

Having only just joined the club, you imagine that many of a Bees persuasion would be expecting Mbeumo to be focusing on settling in and making an impact at Griffin Park for the time being.

While it has been an encouraging start to the season for Mbeumo, I do think he will have to show more throughout the course of the campaign, and potentially beyond that, if he is to earn the move to the top flight that he clearly wants.

Admittedly, however, when you look at the likes of Maupay that have gone before him, it does seem as though Mbeumo is in a good position from where he can eventually make that move.