Dean Smith has revealed that there's nothing stopping him going back for Walsall players in the transfer window – if it's a course of action Brentford decide on.

The likes of Rico Henry, Tom Bradshaw and Romaine Sawyers have caught the eye at the Midlands side this term, and Saddlers fans will naturally fear their former boss returning for a plunder.

New Bees boss Smith refused to comment on any individual player, but admitted there is no gentleman's agreement preventing him hooking the Bescot's best.

He said: “There's been no agreement with Walsall, but we're on really good terms. You're looking too far ahead (talking about potential transfers), and I can't comment on what may or may not happen in the future.

Potential target: Tom Bradshaw scores for Walsall

“It's always difficult when you leave a football club close to your heart and where you have been for along time. Normally, any aspiring manager would jump at the chance to come and manage in the Championship, but it was still a tough one because of my affinity with Walsall.

“However, it's an offer that doesn't come around often, and it excited me. This football club fits my values, and me and my family decided it was the right decision. But I look back with great pride on what we left behind there at Walsall.”

The man who got Brentford into the Championship, Mark Warburton, left after being told his veto over incoming transfers would be removed, but Smith believes too much is being made of the way in which the Bees conduct their business.

Previous boss Marinus Dijkhuizen always insisted he had a big say in which players came in, and Smith expects to do likewise.

Not a puppet: Marinus Dijkhuizen insisted he had a big say in transfers

He added: “One thing I cannot comment on is what happened here before. We will use old fashioned methods and we will use more modern methods as we're trying to do something different. But stats are nothing new, we used them at Walsall too.

“If someone asks me what I am looking for, I will tell them, and we will sit down together to discuss possibilities. The behaviour of the players we are looking to bring in is very important.

“People talk about the manager not having the final decision any more, but has that not always been the way? The owner or chairman will always have the final say over whether he puts his hand in his pocket or not. You don't always hear about the players that managers want to bring in but don't. It's the process that matters.”