Leeds United are currently in talks with Brentford over poaching their technical director Lee Dykes.
The 39-year-old has been at the club for four years, initially joining in 2019 as the head of scouting, before being promoted to technical director last year.
Brentford have recruited excellently since his arrival at the club, helping gain promotion for the first time ever and delivering two strong seasons in the Premier League.
A report has now claimed that Leeds want Dykes to replace Victor Orta as a director, with the Spaniard joining Sevilla following his departure from Elland Road.
Given that Brentford have recruited and sold well whilst also performing well on the pitch, credit has to be given to Dykes for both his role as a scout as well as his time as a director.
Director of football Phil Giles described Dykes as “fantastic” following his promotion last year, and it could be a big blow for the club if they lose such an important figure during the transfer window.
What have Dykes’ main successes been?
Brentford have enjoyed a very successful period of buying and selling since 2019, gaining promotion whilst operating at a profit, whilst succeeding in the Premier League without an overly large level of spending.
Selling the likes of Olly Watkins, Said Benrahma and Neal Maupay for large fees, and in turn buying Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, Mathias Jensen and David Raya for a fraction of the cost has been sensational business, and the value of the squad has risen well beyond their initial price.
Brentford’s squad value has increased by over £300m since his arrival in 2019, by far the biggest increase out of any current Premier League club, and there has still been an impressive increase of over £100m since he was made technical director.
Although Brentford have a good structure in place which could be ready to cope with his departure, losing someone with his experience and expertise in the middle of the window may cause some frustration at the Bees.