Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City & Oxford United dealt blow over Brentford transfer target | OneFootball

The midfielder has been a long-standing target of the Owls, specifically.

The chances of either Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City or Oxford United signing Brentford youngster Myles Peart-Harris have been dented, with ex-Portsmouth loanee wanting to remain with the Bees for the 2024-25 season.

The former Chelsea academy man has told The Athletic that he feels he's ready to play Premier League football right now, making a move to the Championship less likely.

Peart-Harris has been on Wednesday's radar since at least the winter window, when it was reported, by the Star, that he was a potential target for them in January.

In that window, he ended up joining Pompey, who went on to win League One with his help.

He has since returned to his parent club in west London, but the interest in him from EFL teams hasn't cooled off. The Star once again mentioned the 21-year-old's name, in mid-June, as one that was on the Owls' list of options as they looked to rebuild ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Less than a month later, Football Insider stated that Swansea and newly promoted side Oxford were also now in the race to get Peart-Harris on a temporary basis.

The attacking midfielder has already had two loan spells in League One; one at the foot of the table with Forest Green Rovers, and the other saw him win the league with John Mousinho.

The natural progression would be to test himself at the next step, but the 6ft 1in Brentford man feels his legs are long enough to take two steps at once - figuratively.

Myles Peart-Harris dents Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea and Oxford transfer hopes

Peart-Harris has said that, considering his age, he wants to be playing regularly and he feels that the Gtech Community Stadium is where he should be getting that opportunity.

He told The Athletic: "I’m 22 (in September) and I want consistent game time. I’ve learned a lot on the pitch from my last two loans and my character has developed. Brentford have a lot of good players but I’m ready for the challenge.

"I want to prove a point to the manager and myself that I’m capable of being in that environment and playing week in, week out," continued the England youth international. "I’m hungry and determined to show the world what I can do."

These comments certainly don't suggest that a move to one of the three linked Championship sides is currently on the cards.

The Star have also said that there are indications that Thomas Frank, the top flight club's manager, is considering keeping the 21-year-old as part of the Brentford first-team, and added that a new contract could be coming soon for Peart-Harris.

A Championship move would be the natural progression for Myles Peart-Harris

It's very rare that a player comes back from a loan spell and goes straight into the plans of their respective Premier League parent club, especially when the highest level that they've ever had experience at is the third tier.

James Trafford essentially did that last season with Burnley and, while he still has time to develop, things didn't go well for him.

Peart-Harris was a very helpful asset for Pompey and Forest Green, but he wasn't a shining beacon that guided his temporary team to a brilliant place. That's the sort of level you'd need to be at if you wanted to go from League One to the top flight in one go.

His desire for minutes and coinciding belief that he could play in the Brentford first-team might cause him some internal conflicts if he's not getting on the pitch regularly for the Bees.

A team like the Owls, the Swans or the U's would be a much better destination for guaranteed game time, but he might prove to be someone that doesn't have to take the typical, expected route to the top.