The Brentford view on Neal Maupay
Just 21 years ago, us Brighton fans were giddy with excitement at the prospect of forking out £1,000 and a set of kit for Gary Hart.
Now, the Albion are buying strikers for fees in excess of £20m. The player in question is Brentford’s Neal Maupay, the Championship’s second top scorer last season with 28 goals in all competitions.
For the past two summers, we’ve been crying out for a big-money striker to ease the burden on Glenn Murray. The Seagulls have been interested in Maupay for sometime and the fact that Tony Bloom has put aside his fierce rivalry with Bees owner Matt Benham to get the deal done tells you just how highly the Albion rate the Frenchman.
So, just how good is Brighton’s new record buy? To find out, we spoke to Robin ‘Hood’ McMichael, part of the team on the Pride of West London podcast which is produced by the brilliant Beesotted website.
What sort of striker is Maupay? We’ve looked at his highlight reel and most of his goals seem to be from inside the penalty area. Is it fair to say he’s a bit of a fox in the box?
I think it’s a fair assessment to say that Maupay is a fox in the box. His highlight reels will no doubt contain a lot of six yard side-foot finishes and penalties. But what these reels won’t highlight is the work he puts in outside of the box.
He finished on 28 goals but his assists and work rate make him a menace for centre-backs, and he links up well with attacking midfielders and wingers with ease. Whilst his core strength is his ability to finish, expect to see a striker who wants the ball to feet rather than just pouncing on crosses and through balls. He is just as comfortable with his back to goal as he is playing on the shoulder of the centre-backs, as well as dropping into the middle of the park and searching for the ball.
What are his best attributes?
His movement and reading of the game. It allows him to gain an extra yard on defenders and get into positions to score. You could argue that Maupay isn’t the best technical footballer and he certainly isn’t the quickest in a straight line, but he is agile, reads the game so well and once he builds a rapport with your wide players and attacking midfielders, he should be fantastic.
Another of his key attributes is that he is deceptively strong. At 5’8 or 5’9, he looks a bit light, but he’s rather stocky and very difficult to knock off the ball, particularly in the small spaces and battles on the edge of the box. Don’t expect fancy flicks and Rabona skills, but expect a dogged tenacity and turn of pace and skill.
Oh and he’s a player who opposition fans hate. He scored twice against Leeds last season. Then made his presence known to Leeds fans. Just search “Maupay Leeds” on Twitter and you will see what I mean.
How did Brentford get the best out of Maupay? It looks like Graham Potter is going to flit between 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3, will he work in either of those formations?
Yes, either. The 4-2-3-1 might suit him well with two out and out wingers in the side and the support of full backs advancing down the channels. During the majority of his time at the Bees he operated as a lone striker, and looked just as much at home in Dean Smith’s 4-3-3 and Thomas Frank’s back five. He’s the kind of player that can create chances for himself and not necessarily rely on the support of the attackers.
£20m is a lot of money for the Albion to splash out. Is Maupay worth it?
That remains to be seen. £20m for a Brentford player is unheard of, but one thing is for certain – we sold him at the right price. Our Director of Footballs and transfer strategy is founded on only selling if clubs meet our valuation.
I for one think he is worth that amount in today’s climate, and he certainly shouldn’t have gone for less. It’s always a punt when a player moves up a division, but give him six months to adapt to the pace and sharpness of the Premier League, and the rewards should start to show.
On top of that, Brentford and Brighton do not have a recent history of doing business together – due to a falling out between the two owners. Brighton would have only decided to cross that bridge if the treasure on the other side was more than worth it.
How do you think he’ll adapt to the Premier League?
It will take some time. As I said earlier, he isn’t the quickest sprinter and he will be playing against more intelligent defenders who makes fewer mistakes, but his ability to put the ball in the back of the net if given half a chance will make him a serious asset.
One caveat with Maupay is that he is quite hot-headed and can be a bit niggly with challenges. That won’t wash as easily in the Premier League and he could get away with it hidden in the Championship’s mid-table clashes.
At 22, he’s obviously still quite young. How good do you think Maupay could be if he fulfils his potential?
He can easily become a 20-goal a season striker for an established Premier League team. I don’t feel he has the raw pace for the very top level, but his growth rate in terms of physicality, work rate and goal scoring flair has been rapid in his two years at the club.
18 months ago, he missed an open goal away at Cardiff and was slammed by critics, pundits and some Bees fans. He put it behind him and has developed into a machine of goals and assists, and looks every bit the all-round striker. The classic saying is that he’s the kind of player you would love to have on your team and hate to play against. He will do well for Brighton and despite him leaving, I wish him all the success, if not for anything, but for his celebration away at Leeds last season.
Finally, what’s the latest on your new ground situation? Brentford away was always one of our more popular days out in the Championship so there’ll be lots of Brighton fans a little bit gutted that Griffin Park is going in the near future
I use the old adage of leaving the family home. As someone who first visited Griffin Park as a five year old, it has been a part of mine and every other loyal Bees fan’s upbringing. It’s not a pretty ground, but it’s home. It’s a horrible ground for away teams to come to. Whilst the pub on each corner magic may be lost, we are all about progress and our new ground will allow the club to grow and become something even bigger.
The structure of the stadium is now complete and were are starting to lay the undersoil foundations and seating arrangements, with the stadium ready for the start of the 2020-21 season. A spokesman for the club said that we are all about creating new habits and experiences for our fans, and whilst I am emotional about leaving the hallowed turf of Griffin Park, our new stadium is the right move and we have incorporated enough homages to the old ground and our club’s history to make it feel like a new home rather than just a ground we are moving into.
You can listen to Robin and the rest of Beesotted team discussing Maupay’s move to the Albion on this week’s Pride of West London podcast.
