After a string of loan spells in the Championship and Bundesliga after failing to make an appearance for Liverpool, Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg decided to move to Brentford from Merseyside during the transfer window last summer.
He quickly found a regular place in his new club and has made 25 appearances throughout the Premier League and cup competitions.
The 23-year-old centre-back got more playing time than he would have got at Liverpool, but he revealed that he also had a world view to join Bayer Leverkusen.
“I spoke to Xabi Alonso, as well as to people higher up at Leverkusen. Leverkusen could pay the transfer fee that Liverpool wanted, but someone had to leave before they could get me.”
“I didn’t want to wait for that. Brentford were very interested in me from day one and very positive about me.”
“The overall picture has to be right, of course, but in recent years I have learned that it is very important that the club and coach really want me. Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso, (Jeremie) Frimpong, Champions League football and trying to become champions of Germany again would have been nice too.”
“But I could have gotten the perfect picture at Brentford, while I was still in the waiting room at Leverkusen. So then I chose this with full dedication.”
VoetbalPrimeur
From Liverpool’s point of view, they were able to conclude a deal that included a transfer fee of reportedly £25 million, including options, plus an accompanying sell-on clause that would pay 17.5 per cent of the amount generated in the next transfer window, a relatively good deal for a player with no Premier League experience.
He has progressed well at Brentford and the team, which struggled in the early part of the season, has gradually improved. With the standings so closely matched in terms of points, a top ten finish is not out of the question, as the standings are a mixed bag, with a single whitewash moving them up or down the table.
Will the Dutch defender become a world-class player in London and bring Liverpool a big transfer fee?