Brentford owner says club were close to Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Omar Marmoush deals | OneFootball

Matthew Benham says Brentford were close to deals for Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Omar Marmoush. According to NY Times, the owner outlined the near misses at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in March.

He said Brentford could have signed Eze for £four million in 2019 and Marmoush on a free around three years ago. Eze joined Crystal Palace in 2020, then moved to Arsenal last summer for an initial £60m plus up to £7.5m in add-ons.

Marmoush left Wolfsburg in 2023 for Eintracht Frankfurt on a free, then joined Manchester City in January 2025 for around €70m to €75m plus bonuses.

Benham said that in the summer they were promoted, two players graded outstandingly in scouting, one being Mudryk. He added a move would have been complicated, but Brentford were close at around €20m. Mudryk signed for Chelsea in 2023 for €70m plus €30m in add-ons, and was provisionally suspended by the FA in December before being charged under anti-doping rules last summer.

He also discussed an unsuccessful move for Olise, praising his profile but saying a prohibitive agent fee led Brentford to step away. Palace signed him for £eight million in summer 2021, and he later joined Bayern Munich in 2024.

Benham, 57, is a boyhood Brentford fan involved in ownership since 2005. Bees United handed him full control in 2012. Brentford are now in their fifth straight Premier League season.

Source: NY Times