Too many young stars have suffered over the years by trying to join the biggest club rather than the side that will actually give them a chance to play.
We’re now seeing an interesting situation where a lot of talented kids are turning down offers to stay with the elite sides in favour of signing for slightly smaller teams who have a proven track record of developing players.
Brentford have a fascinating setup as they’ve spurred the traditional U23 league in favour of a B team who play friendlies against teams from all over Europe, and it looks like Arsenal defender Daniel Oyegoke is going to join the Premier League newcomers:
Understand Daniel Oyegoke could be heading to Brentford after his surprise decision to reject Arsenal’s pro contract offer. pic.twitter.com/Idl1UJ7l1C
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) June 26, 2021
It doesn’t look like the 18-year-old will go straight into the senior setup, but he was a regular for Arsenal’s youth sides last year and he was clearly highly rated if they were offering him a pro contract.
It will take a few years to see if he’s made the right choice, but he does deserve praise for taking a risk and trying to push on with his career.