Will Grigg remain a Bee?
- essentialbrentford
- Jul 13, 2015
- 3 min read
Will Grigg is in many senses the forgotten man. Arriving from Walsall in a fee that has risen to £405,000, it is fair to say that he didn't exactly light up League 1 in his debut season for us back in the 2013/14 campaign. Playing in the shadows of the fancied Donaldson and Trotta, he struggled to make an impact in the red and white stripes.
He was absent from the entirity of Brentford's Championship campaign last season, spending it at MK Dons. However, with Wigan prepared to make a £1million swoop for the striker, should he be given a second chance at Griffin Park?
YES - Grigg should get a chance at Brentford
Will Grigg had an outstanding season at MK Dons last year. On his arrival Karl Robinson stated that Grigg is "a goalscorer at this level and he’s a Northern Ireland international too. He’s got the pedigree to come in and do well".
Many will remember Grigg putting on a man of the match performance in a League Cup second round match versus Manchester United on 26 August, the same night that Brentford lost at Griffin Park to Fulham in the same competition. Grigg scored a brace in a shock 4–0 victory, including a chested goal which Paul Merson would describe as "one of the best that this competition has ever seen".
The match kick-started Grigg's season and he went on to score three goals in his next six games, to take his tally to five goals in seven games. Eight goals from December through to early March 2015 led Karl Robinson to reveal he was interested in signing Grigg on a permanent deal.
In total Grigg scored 20 goals for the League 1 outfit last season, five more than our own striker Andre Gray (albeit Gray was playing in a division higher). At Walsall he notched up the same tally of twenty goals in the season. Grigg's form has lead many to point out that Brentford may have been too quick to neglect him.
Having proved himself as a goalscorer in League 1, isn't it only fair that we give Grigg a shot at the Championship? Especially having witnessed Andre Gray's progress made, and he being a player who was even more "raw". Brentford's lack of strikers at the time of writing seems to be further indication that Grigg should get a chance, and the fact that so many teams are interested in his signature justifies giving him a second chance.
NO - Grigg should be sold
Many would point out that despite Grigg's excellent form at other clubs, he was a complete flop at Brentford. 5 goals in 34 league appearances suggests that Grigg and Brentford just don't gel. Injury, international call ups and being played out of position by manager Uwe Rösler led to Grigg enduring a stuttering start to his Brentford career and he admitted suffering a dip in confidence.
About his lack of form, Grigg said "I haven’t become a bad striker overnight. I’ve been training well, I’m confident and keep believing. If I get a run of games, I think I will always score goals". Whether it be that our playing style doesn't suit him, or vice-versa, he just didn't perform at Griffin Park.
With Wigan ready to bid £1million we would be crazy not to sell him. Especially given our current influx of signings. I'm not too knowledgable about the financial fairplay rules but I do know is that if you're buying in bulk then you need some money coming in as well. Additionally, the wage bill must be racking itself up and Benham's pockets aren't bottomless.
Having established himself as a good League 1 player, we shouldn't assume that this would make Grigg a good Championship striker. The step up is a lot easier for someone like Gray who has pace and strength to worry oppositions than for someone like Grigg who is more technically relaible.
Conclusion
With a European striker allegedly on the way to Brentford, and with the loanees still to come through the Griffin Park doors, it seems sensible to sell Grigg. Especially when one considers the amount of money we would receive for him. £1million could buy us two more Andre Gray's. Or another Odubajo. Or two-thirds of Jota.
In any case, perhaps Grigg should have been given more of a chance last season, but following his loan to MK Dons we are now in a position to cash in on a player who is hot proprty at the moment, and surplus to requirements in South-West London.
Comments