Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Swansea City eyeing Premier League winger | OneFootball

A number of EFL sides are eyeing a deal to sign Brentford FC winger Michael Olakigbe this month.

That is according to Football Insider, who report that two sides from the Championship and a further two teams from League One are keen on a loan deal for the 19-year-old.

The report claims that the first two of those clubs are Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City, whereas the third-tier sides keen are Derby County and Oxford United.

All four clubs are said to have made enquiries regarding Olakigbe's availability this month as they look to bolster their attacking options ahead of the rest of the season.

As touched upon above, Michael Olakigbe is a 19-year-old winger currently on the books at Brentford FC. He can, however, play as an attacking midfielder, too.

Olakigbe's youth career began with QPR and then Fulham, with the youngster having turned out for both the latter's their under-18 and under-21 sides before moving to Brentford in the summer of 2022.

At that time, the then 18-year-old joined the Bees' B team for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Since then, Olakigbe has been on the fringes of the first-team squad at Brentford, and this season, has made 11 senior appearances already.

Eight of these have come as short cameos in the Premier League, whilst the other three are a mix of FA Cup and EFL Cup outings.

The above means that the 19-year-old has played just 11 senior matches during his career.

Olakigbe contracted to Brentford until 2028

Brentford clearly rate the youngster highly, having handed him a long-term deal in West London at the end of November.

Indeed, Olakigbe signed fresh terms with the club late last year on a new deal until 2028.

Speaking at the time, Brentford's director of football Phil Giles told the club's media channels: "Michael came into the club as a B-team player and has made excellent progress over the last 18 months."

"He has trained consistently with the first team since pre-season and earned his opportunities on the pitch in the Premier League.

"He is a really good person who is working hard to improve his game, and I’m very pleased we’ve managed to add more years to his contract to give him and us as much time as we need to make him the best possible player he can be.”

Where is the best destination for Olakigbe?

It will certainly be interesting to see which side, if any, the youngster heads out on loan to.

Ideally, Brentford will want the youngster to get plenty of minutes and starts if they are to send him out on loan.

With that said, a loan move to League One could be better as a first step into EFL football.

Then again, if Brentford feel he is going to get the required minutes, a move to a side in the Championship would expose him to football at a higher level and potentially aid his development even more.

It's a tricky decision for Brentford, and the key thing the Premier League side should be seeking here is assurances over game time.