'Top two? Why not?' - Why Sangare turned down top clubs for Brentford

Mamadou Sangare could have been playing Champions League football this week. After all, the signs point to him being an elite-level player.

Not only did the midfielder star for RC Lens last season - playing a key role as they finished as Ligue 1 runners-up and French Cup champions - but there were major European clubs eyeing up his signature over the summer.

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And not just major clubs, the elite of the elite. Yet he turned them down for a club-record move to a Brentford team without European football this season.

"Yeah it's true," he tells Sky Sports from Brentford's training ground about that interest. "But I'm not going to give any names, out of respect.

"There were a lot of clubs. For me, the most important thing was to know where I could progress. And Brentford was the best place for my development.

"A coach who really wanted me was something that was important to me. That's why I chose Brentford."

It is fair to say Sangare had earned a big move. As well as his club success with Lens, he was also named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year at the age of 24, pipping Paris Saint-Germain duo Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz to a midfield spot.

So was it hard to say no to some of the major European clubs? "No, it wasn't difficult," he replies.

"Just because a big club comes calling, it doesn't mean you have to say yes to it. You have to see a lot of different aspects.

"I'm a little different from other players because I see things differently. For me, Brentford was the best option - as a young player, as a player who still has to prove himself at a high level.

"I think that choosing Brentford was the best option for me to progress and to reach my best potential."

'I'd never seen an approach like that' - Sangare on Brentford's pitch to him

If Sangare wasn't a coup for Brentford when he joined, he was definitely one after his Premier League debut. He got two assists as the Bees hammered Tottenham on the opening weekend, but the way he strutted around with ease in his first Premier League game made him a star for the future already.

"He can play for a top four club," said Jamie Redknapp after that display. And the big question everyone had was: how do Brentford keep on spotting then securing future gems in the making?

The key is in the preparation when it comes to Brentford, who pitch the club to incoming players via a very detailed presentation.

Bryan Mbeumo recently revealed how thorough Brentford's pitch can be. The Bees watched him 28 times for Ligue 2 side Troyes before approaching him in 2019, then presented him with all his strengths and weaknesses on a screen.

Because of this presentation, he had a clear idea of where he'd fit in, where he'd improve - and seven years later, he was sold to Manchester United for £71m. He had gone from a French second-division player to scoring 20 Premier League goals in a single season for the Bees.

And for Sangare? "It was exactly the same," he says about the presentation that Brentford gave him over the summer.

"It was incredible. It was the first time I've ever seen something like that. I've been at a few clubs, but I've never seen an approach like that.

"Brentford has a well-placed structure. It was something I've never seen before - it really pushed me to choose this club.

"I had a positive, detailed discussion with the coach. He showed me his style of play and what he expected from me.

"He also showed me the tools which could allow me to improve. He showed me my weaknesses and what I needed to work on. I'm a young player, I really liked that.

"When a coach speaks to you like that, it shows that he wants to see you improve. It was really important for me."

However, not all roads are straightforward in football. Despite being the new darling of Brentford, he has started the last two games against Chelsea and Aston Villa on the bench.

There is no injury. Instead, he is competing with the trustworthy pair of long-term servants Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen for a midfield starting spot. Yehor Yarmoliuk is another up and coming option in that position and scored at Villa. Sangare has had to wait his turn after such a high-profile start.

"I haven't spoken much about that with the coach," Sangare says about his recent appearances on the bench. "He's the coach, he's the boss. I'm a player like so many others. It's not only about me here.

"The most important thing is the team. That's what counts. Whether I start or not, as long as they need me, I'll be there.

"It's up to me to work even harder to get my place back, even though I wouldn't say that I lost it. It's up to me to keep working and to do even more than the others. We'll see how it goes."

Despite his limited appearances in recent weeks, Sangare has still shown his worth. He averages the most tackles out of any Premier League player per 90 minutes, while only Man City's Elliot Anderson has won more duels on the ground than the Mali midfielder.

With the calibre of player like Sangare in the team, it makes Brentford such a hard team to beat. They are still unbeaten in the Premier League this season, having beaten Chelsea and Tottenham and drawn with Aston Villa.

Liverpool are up next at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, having been stung by Keith Andrews' side in this fixture last season. Even though they have never played a European match before, Brentford are a continental club in the making.

'Why can't Brentford reach top four, or top two?'

Sangare managed to defy all the odds at Lens last season, taking them to Europe and winning them a cup. That would be the perfect tonic for Brentford fans this season - who have never won a major trophy in their history.

But with Brentford sitting fourth in the table after six games, Sangare's message is clear: Europe is not enough.

"The goal is to reach Europe and win as many games as possible," he says. "We know that Brentford has never played a European game before.

"Why can't we also reach the top four, or the top two? Why can't we cause a real surprise? Because we're a good team in the league. We have a very good team with very good players, with a great coach as well."

Those are the team's ambitions. What about his own? After his performances for Brentford already this season, many have branded him as the next player off the conveyer belt, after the Bees brought in nearly £200m for Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Ivan Toney and David Raya.

"I saw some comments about that," says Sangare about transfer rumours linking him with a move away already. "I don't think too much about it. I just want to work and help the team to reach their goals.

"They put a lot of money in me. They trusted me. It's up to me to do everything to make it happen - by winning games, by improving the team.

"These are the things I have to put in my head, not transfers or anything like that. I have to focus on the team. This is what we have to do. Win games and improve the team by getting our goals."