Brentford FC landed £1.8m transfer gem that won't ever be forgotten | OneFootball

The current Aston Villa striker moved to Griffin Park in 2017, and in the space of three years made a name for himself.

Brentford FC's rise from League One to the Premier League in the space of six years was incredible, and they have maintained their place as one of the core members of the top flight in the 2020s.

Now a solid mid-table side, the Bees have been praised over the course of the last decade for their excellent recruitment and their ability to build squads full of quality without spending heavily still continues to this day.

However, one of their greatest signings came ahead of the 2017/18 season, just a couple of months after Dean Smith had secured a 10th place finish in the Championship.

Bringing in top strikers has always been one of Brentford's strengths, and the decision to bring Ollie Watkins to Griffin Park in July 2017 from Exeter City proved to be genius.

Brentford signed a £1.8m gem in Watkins

The current Aston Villa and England star switched Devon for London for an incredibly low fee of £1.8m, with the Grecians rejecting Derby County's approach for the forward in favour of the Bees.

He quickly got to work adjusting to life in the Championship, and he found the back of the net in just his third game for the club.

Watkins played off the left for the majority of his first season at Griffin Park, and this did have an impact on just how much of a threat he was in front of goal. Nevertheless, he was still able to score 10 times in the league while also registering four assists.

Brentford missed out on the play-offs, but did improve on their finish from the previous season, and it was clear that they were slowly starting to close that gap to the top sides in the division.

The then 22-year-old started the 2018/19 campaign spectacularly, scoring three goals in his first three games of the season, but he struggled to maintain that run and once again ended the campaign on 10 goals as the Bees finished 12th.

However, the 2019/20 season proved to be a breakout year for the forward, and playing in his natural position, he was electric.

Watkins finished the year with 25 goals, helping his side to a play-off finish. They beat Swansea City in the semi-final before heading to Wembley to face their West London rivals, Fulham.

However, it was the Cottagers who won promotion to the Premier League, and Brentford were forced to wait another year to take themselves to the promised land.

Brentford made a healthy profit on Watkins

It was clear that keeping hold of Watkins was going to be near-impossible for the Bees after such a successful season for the now 29-year-old, and clubs in the top flight started to show interest.

Aston Villa proved to be the winners of the race for the forward, and he joined the West Midlands side for an initial £28m, with the fee rising to £33m through add-ons.

Since then, he has gone on to become one of the Premier League's very best strikers, and he was crucial in the Villains reaching the Champions League for the 2024/25 season.

He is also a core member of England's senior team, and scored an incredible 90th minute winner against the Netherlands in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 to send his country through to the final in Berlin.

However, Brentford supporters will never forget the meteoric rise that he went on at Griffin Park, and he helped the club make a very healthy profit.