Brentford owner reveals bargain deal to sign 'unbelievable' Michael Olise collapsed due to 'crazy' agent fees as Bees also missed out on Eberechi Eze & Mykhailo Mudryk

Benham recently opened up at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference about the club's most notable transfer near-misses. He revealed how close they came to securing some of Europe's brightest talents before they became household names, highlighting current Bayern Munich star Michael Olise.

Benham praised the winger, explaining: "Then Michael Olise, his scouting was unbelievable, out of this world but we just got promoted and we weren't used to the crazy agent fees in the Premier League at the time."

He elaborated on the collapse, stating: "The agent fee for that one was so insanely high that we stepped away, even though there was part of us thinking 'well, if you combine the agent fee and the transfer fee, it's kind of not too bad,' but the agent fee on its own was just so insane that we stepped away. There's always going to be ones you miss out on."

The recruitment team also identified current Arsenal star Eberechi Eze during his time at Queens Park Rangers, long before his £67.5 million blockbuster move to north London last summer. Similarly, they tracked current Manchester City attacker Omar Marmoush, who later joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer from Wolfsburg during the summer of 2023.

Benham revealed the astonishingly low figures involved, stating: "I was saying before that we could have signed Eze for £4m I think in 2019. We could also have signed Marmoush on a free about three years ago."

Highlighting the missed bargains, the owner added: "[We could have signed both] for about £4m combined. The summer we got promoted to the Premier League, there was actually two players that scouted amazingly, amazingly well."

Before his massive move to London just a year later, current Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk was heavily courted by the London side. When the Ukrainian rose to prominence at Shakhtar Donetsk, the Bees saw two bids rejected in January 2022, worth in the region of £12 million and £15 million.

Benham detailed the situation, noting: "One was Mudryk which was maybe a bit complicated if we signed, although we were quite close to signing him for a low fee, for about €20m. Eventually, he went for more like €80m though he's currently serving a drug ban." Mudryk has not featured for the Blues since November 2024.

The candid admissions highlight the distinct difficulties smaller clubs face when attempting to secure elite talent against the financial influence of intermediaries. The jump to the Premier League significantly changed the landscape of their negotiations, but the club has successfully established itself as a top-flight mainstay despite these near-misses.

The scenarios involving these stars serve as a harsh reminder of the fine margins in professional football recruitment. Concluding his thoughts on these high-profile missed opportunities, Benham simply stated: "There's always going to be ones you regret."