Mamadou Sangare joins Brentford as record signing, a rising star with ‘the sky’s the limit’ | OneFootball

Mamadou Sangare has joined Brentford for a club-record €48million (£41.1m), the 24-year-old Mali midfielder arriving after a standout season with Lens to play in the Premier League in 2026-27. NY Times reports that the West London club moved for him after his rapid rise in Ligue 1.

Born in Bamako and developed at Yeelen Olympique, Sangare signed for RB Salzburg in 2020, then built experience on loans at Liefering, Grazer AK, Zulte Waregem and Hartberg. He made 48 appearances for Hartberg before Rapid Vienna signed him, then Lens took him to France.

Tom Saintfiet recalled Yves Bissouma asking, “Which position do you prefer?”, and Sangare answering, “Your position”. “So it showed a lot of confidence and belief,” he told The Athletic.

At Lens he partnered captain Adrien Thomasson in midfield, helped them finish runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain and win a first Coupe de France. He made Ligue 1’s team of the season and won the Marc-Vivien Foe Award.

“I was trained as an attacking midfielder, but I feel really comfortable in the double pivot here,” he said on the club’s website. “Finishing is something I’m really working on.”

Crystal Palace were also interested after hiring Pierre Sage, but could not match Brentford’s financial package. “Given his quality and his young age, the sky’s the limit for him,” Puchas said.

Source: NY Times