Brentford boss Thomas Frank has predicted that Said Benrahma will prove to be a hit in the Premier League for West Ham United following the Algerian's move across London earlier this season.
The tricky winger originally arrived at the West London club back in the summer of 2018 from French side Nice before quickly becoming a fan favourite under Frank's management, forming one part of the prolific 'BMW' attacking trident alongside Ollie Watkins and Bryan Mbeumo that made such a strong impression on the Championship last term.
Benrahma's sparkling form for the Bees inevitably led to many sides casting admiring glances towards Griffin Park, with the saga eventually concluding in the summer just gone as the 25-year-old completed his move to the Hammers on an initial season-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror about his former player, Frank was quick to state the following: "I’m sure Said will perform 100 per cent well, and to see Ezri (Konsa) in Aston Villa and Neal (Maupay) at Brighton showing they perform well when they go the next level, is very satisfying."
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All in all, the mercurial forward notched an impressive 17 goals and 10 assists for the Bees last season as they narrowly missed out on Premier League promotion.
The Verdict
I fully agree with Frank on this. What was made abundantly clear last season is that Benrahma is far too good to be playing anywhere lower than the top level and for that reason I expect him to be a huge success at West Ham.
The Bees boss has once again proved how good he is at developing players and for that he can be proud of the work that both he and his staff have conducted since taking charge in West London.
Brentford's model sets such a good example to other EFL clubs who have fallen on harder times financially due to the pandemic and as a result we could well see more and more clubs looking to bring in talent from overseas.
In conclusion, the business conducted by the Bees this summer has been nothing short of superb and as a result they and West Ham are set to reap the rewards of their patient approach to transfer negotiations.