"Got to hope" - Birmingham City worry raised as Romelle Donovan seals £3m Brentford switch | OneFootball

Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit has reacted to the permanent transfer of Romelle Donovan to Brentford

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City's sale of talented youngster Romelle Donovan to Brentford, and the fee which Blues have received from West London, has divided opinion among the club's fanbase.

Donovan, who made his debut under Wayne Rooney at the tender age of 16 during a 2-0 home defeat to Hull City in October 2023, had long been billed as one of the most promising young players to emerge from Birmingham's youth set-up in many years alongside the likes of Jude and Jobe Bellingham, George Hall and Alfie Chang.

After making six more Championship appearances throughout the 2023/24 campaign, Donovan headed out on loan to Burton Albion following Birmingham's relegation to League One. His time at the Pirelli Stadium, however, proved to be a disappointing one for all parties as the winger managed just nine appearances and one goal before returning prematurely to the West Midlands in December.

Donovan then joined Brentford on loan for the remainder of the season, an agreement which saw him link up with the Premier League club's 'B team'. The 18-year-old made an instant impression by scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists in 15 games, with eight of those strikes arriving in the Professional Development League, and Brentford have sought to make Donovan's stay a permanent one.

As reported by The Standard's Dom Smith, Brentford have paid £3 million for Donovan, with Birmingham separately confirming that a purchase option was activated in the teenager's loan agreement.

Donovan, who had just one year remaining on his deal in the Second City, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Bees and will now be joining Thomas Frank's first-team squad on a permanent basis ahead of the 2025/26 top-flight campaign.

Birmingham City worry raised over Romelle Donovan, Brentford sale

Donovan has tended to cut a divisive figure among Blues' fanbase. It has been pointed out that the £3 million windfall for his services will help the club adhere to Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), which is an important factor to consider as Birmingham prepare for yet another lavish summer spending spree - though this time in the Championship after being able to spend freely without the threat of EFL sanctions in League One.

However, there is little dispute when it comes to Donovan's talent and potential, and the fact that Brentford have decided to promote him into the first-team squad will leave Birmingham worried about whether they have cashed in on him too early.

FLW decided to ask our Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore, whether he believes £3 million is a fair price and if he is disappointed that Donovan has not remained at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park to fulfil his potential.

Jason is content with the fee, although he did point out a tinge of disappointment that Birmingham reportedly rejected a £5 million bid for Donovan from Brentford prior to his loan move in January. His biggest concern, however, is that Donovan's sale could come back to bite Birmingham in the future, and he has tipped the exciting forward to kick on and succeed at the Gtech Community Stadium.

"With Romelle Donovan, I don't mind to be honest," Jason told FLW.

"£3 million isn't too bad. I'm a little bit disappointed in the sense that we were apparently offered £5m in January and didn't take it.

"There's definitely a player in there, but whether it comes round to bite us is a different thing. There were rumours [on social media] that Chris Davies didn't like his attitude, he had a failed loan move at Burton so who knows?

"I think I'll take the £3 million. I would've liked a little bit more but £3 million is £3 million, and it's pure profit with PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] so it can only help us in the short-term.

"I guess from a Blues point of view, you've sort of got to hope that it doesn't come back to bite us and he doesn't succeed. But I think he will succeed, there's definitely a player in there and he's gone to a club in Brentford that does well in developing players."

Birmingham City will be hoping to find the next Romelle Donovan after Brentford sale

It is a shame that Donovan never realised his potential at Birmingham and could go on to enjoy a glittering career away from the club.

However, the focus will now be on cultivating and nurturing similarly-exciting young prospects poised to emerge from within the ranks in the not-too-distant future.

Last month, Blues announced that their academy has been awarded prestigious Category One status by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC). That's something of a landmark, and is testament to the ambitious and progressive work conducted by Knighthead both on and off the pitch.

Birmingham now have one of the country's premier academy systems, which will allow them to recruit top talent from within the local area and further afield.