Brentford FC executed an Ollie Watkins masterstroke call that made them serious cash - Is it the club's best in recent times? | OneFootball

Is Ollie Watkins the best signing in recent years for Brentford?

Ollie Watkins is one of the best strikers in world football currently, having been outstanding for Aston Villa since his arrival from Brentford in 2020.

The 28-year-old planted the seeds of his career in the EFL, rising through the ranks at Exeter City before joining Brentford in 2017. The attacker arrived at Griffin Park for a reported fee of £1.8 million, but would go on to more than repay that investment.

The Bees have made some stellar signings over recent years, with Watkins being just one of these. But where does England's Euro 2024 semi-final hero rank among Brentford's best signings in recent years?

The striker from Torquay had to work hard to get his foot in the door for Exeter, having been sent out on loan to Weston-Super-Mare as an 18-year-old.

Upon his return to St James Park, the goals began to flow for Watkins, which caught the eye of clubs up and down the land. A battle to secure the 21-year-old's signature would occur, with Championship side Brentford eventually securing his services.

Little did they know that this investment would eventually help propel them to the top flight of English football. He hit the ground running, scoring 10 goals in each of his first two Championship seasons. A respectable tally, but he needed more if he wanted to turn the heads of the elite clubs.

It would be the 2019-20 season that did in fact get heads turning. Watkins was part of a formidable front three for the Bees, along with Said Benrahma and Bryan Mbuemo. The striker scored 25 goals in the league alone, as Brentford reached the Championship play-off final.

Despite Brentford falling at the final hurdle, Watkins would get a Premier League move, as Aston Villa swooped in to prize him away. An initial fee of £28 million was reportedly paid by the Villans, which could eventually rise to £33 million.

The rest is history really, as the Villa striker has been a star in all of his four seasons at Villa Park so far by netting double digits in all of them. But for the Bees, they were left with a healthy chunk of cash, which would set them up nicely for their Premier League push.

Ivan Toney deal similar to Watkins

Brentford needed a replacement for their star man, so they went shopping in the lower leagues again. Ex-Newcastle United forward Ivan Toney had just come off the back of an incredible season in League One with Peterborough United, as they had just missed out on the play-offs.

Being the same age as the departing Watkins, the Bees splashed out £5 million with add-ons that could rise to £10 million for Toney's services. The opening of the G-Tech Community Stadium that season was exciting, as the club finally had a state-of-the-art home that matched its ambition.

It seems Brentford just had the midas-touch with unearthing strikers, as Toney went on to get 31 goals in the Championship that season, surpassing what Watkins had achieved the year before. Despite losing two of their three attackers, the London club won promotion to the Premier League.

Toney went on to succeed in the top flight for the Bees as well, scoring 36 times across two-and-a-half seasons. Once again, he caught the eye of Europe's big boys, despite being banned from football for eight months due to breaching betting rules.

It was clear the former Peterborough man wanted to move on to further his career, and he had plenty of potential suitors despite his recent ban. On summer deadline day 2024, Toney signed for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League for a reported £40 million.

This was once again a great piece of business for Brentford, as they had received at least quadruple what they'd paid for the striker, whilst also getting a great return from him.

Its no secret that the club from West London has been one of the best run clubs in English football over the last decade, rising through the EFL to become an established Premier League team under legendary manager Thomas Frank.

The deals mentioned above are just two of the standouts over the last few years, with Brentford seemingly able to turn a huge profit on any of their star players. This does wonders for the club's reputation as well, as players will look at the recent success of some of their signings and see heading to the G-Tech Community Stadium as a good option.

Of course, when comparing signings, there are multiple factors to take into account. From the fee paid, the fee received when they were sold, longevity and contributions on the pitch are some of the key points to consider.

Some Brentford fans would hail the signing of Ben Mee as one of their best in recent years. The experienced defender signed from Burnley in 2022, and has gone on to play a key part in keeping the Bees in the Premiership.

However, with no resale value on the 34-year-old, it would be hard to rank him higher than Watkins and Toney.

All in all, the purchase of Toney from Peterborough should be recognised as the best piece of business Brentford have done in recent years. Despite Watkins being signed for a much lower fee, it's hard to overlook Toney's contributions towards the club's upward trajectory.

His resale of £40 million also means Brentford made more profit from Toney's sale than they did with Watkins, so for those reasons, the signing of Toney ranks slightly higher than Watkins.