Done deal: Birmingham City strike exit agreement with Premier League club over forward transfer
The latest transfer news as Birmingham City and Brentford complete a deal.
Brentford have finalised the signing of Birmingham City attacking midfielder Romelle Donovan on a permanent deal following a successful loan spell.
It was announced on Monday that both clubs had struck an agreement for Donovan, who initially joined Brentford B on loan in February. The 18-year-old surpassed all expectations for the young Bees, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists in 15 appearances before the conclusion of the season just gone.
Neither club has disclosed the fee but The Standard reports Brentford paid around £3 million to secure Donovan’s services. That could turn out to be quite the bargain for the Premier League side if the youngster can reach his full potential, though Blues also benefit as the fee received acts as pure profit towards the profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Brentford have confirmed Donovan, who Wayne Rooney handed his senior Birmingham debut at the age of just 16, will join up with the first team at the start of next season. Thomas Frank is eager to take a closer look at the attacking midfielder and is likely to offer him opportunities in the cup competitions.
Rooney may not have enjoyed any real success at Blues but he did get it right with his assessment of Donovan. “He’s got really good character. I think when he’s trained, he’s trained really well with us, with a really good mentality,” Rooney told Birmingham World after Donovan’s debut.
“He’s got good quality. He deserves to be with us but of course you need to protect him because he’s a young lad — he’s not going to be in every squad and he’s not going to be involved in every game. Again, though, it’s about building him up to be a future star for the club.”
As it turned out, Birmingham weren’t the right club for Donovan to progress as the priority hasn’t been developing young talent, but rather rising into Premier League promotion contention. Returning to the Championship at the first time of asking was the first task and now Blues will be looking to achieve a play-off finish in the second tier. For that to work, more established talents are relied upon.
Brentford are delighted to have got the Donovan signing over the line and hope he can progress throughout the course of his five-year contract. Reacting to the deal, Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “When Romelle arrived on loan in January, we knew he was a talented player with potential, but it’s fair to say that in his time with us he’s exceeded our expectations.
“His performances for the B team have been outstanding and he has shown himself to have a desire to work hard in training. He has earned his place in our first-team squad for next season. He will need to continue to work hard, on and off the pitch, to continue his progression with us towards first-team matches.”