Ajax? I was right to pick Brentford over De Boer and Bergkamp

 
P56 Harry Forrester
Giuseppe Muro15 January 2013

Not many players turn down Ajax in favour of a move to Brentford. But that’s exactly what Harry Forrester, arguably the most exciting prospect in League One, did.

The 22-year-old spent three weeks on trial with the Dutch giants after being released by Aston Villa in the summer of 2011 and was offered the chance to sign permanently by manager Frank de Boer.

But Forrester wanted to prove himself in England and decided against a move to the four-time European champions before signing a two-year contract at Griffin Park, where he has since flourished.

His fine form this season has helped Brentford to third in League One and victory against Southend tonight would set up an FA Cup fourth-round tie against holders Chelsea.

Following a positive start to his career in west London, Forrester is confident he made the right decision.

He said: “I spoke to [Brentford manager] Uwe Rosler before coming here, he is very enthusiastic and I really bought into the project. I believe that the club are going the right way and it was best for my career to stay in England and play for Brentford. The season has started off well. The team are doing well and on a personal level it has gone well, so long may that continue. At the moment, it seems like the right decision and I did not have much doubt that it would be.”

Forrester impressed Ajax’s coaches playing for Villa in a youth tournament before joining up with the Eredivisie side for a pre-season training camp.

De Boer and his assistant Dennis Bergkamp were confident the midfielder’s technical ability would fit into the club’s footballing philosophy.

Forrester, who started his career at Watford’s Academy, said: “I learned a lot out there. In England, it is about the hustle and bustle but in Holland it is much more technical and football-based drills.

“I trained with Frank de Boer and Dennis Bergkamp a couple of times and they both gave me some good advice. They used to mess around before training and would take free-kicks and put them in the stanchion in-front of everyone! I am an Arsenal fan so that was great. Speaking and training with people like that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Forrester’s impressive displays in League One have already attracted the interest of Premier League clubs. Villa manager Paul Lambert is reportedly keen on taking him back to Villa Park with Southampton and Reading also monitoring his progress.

Forrester admits he would love to play in the Premier League but still has six months to go on his contract and is not looking beyond that.

“Most definitely Brentford is the main thing at the moment,” he said.

Brentford let a two-goal lead slip against League Two side Southend but remain favourites to go through. They are unbeaten in nine games — and 13 at Griffin Park — and Forrester insists they will not be distracted by a ­potential game against the European champions.

He said: “We’ve got 90 minutes and maybe more against Southend to play and we are focused on that. They’re good side but we have got enough in our dressing room to beat them.

“The manager wants to do well in the FA Cup and the players know how important it could be to the club financially to play against bigger teams.

“The Chelsea game will not be a distraction because we know what we have to do tonight. We cannot even think about Chelsea and look too far ahead.”

Brentford v Southend - FA Cup third-round replay, Tonight, 7.45pm

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