A livid Phil Giles raged against the format of the January transfer window after star striker and West Ham target Scott Hogan received phone calls regarding his future on the eve of Brentford's last TWO games.
The Bees' co-director of football made it clear that he was NOT criticising the 24-year-old striker and understood that it would impact on Hogan's preparation. The Bees have rejected multiple bids from more than one club.
And he raged against the agents in the game who have interfered in head coach Dean Smith's match preparations with Brentford losing 2-1 against Newcastle and Wigan respectively.
Giles explained: “Before the Newcastle game, Scott was meant to be involved. On Friday night, he got a call saying a club were going to make a bid. It'll be done on Saturday night.
“He's completely distracted. It's not his fault. He's completely distracted – it's not his fault but his focus is not on the game anymore.
“This week, he trains all week. He had a slightly tight hamstring. He was going to be involved – the same thing last night happened.
“He got a call saying there were things moving and he got a call and I got a call. No criticism of Scott.
“He wants to play and needs to play. It's unfair on him and Dean who is trying to make plans for the game today.
“The whole thing is completely out of control. The whole system needs looking at. All clubs are getting affected by this.”
Giles is furious with both the way agents have been operating and also with how the January transfer window works in how it gets agents, and in other instances players, trying to force through moves.
He added: “Agents are making the calls telling him you're going to get a big move, it's your big chance.
“Of course, he's going to get distracted by that. No criticism of him whatsoever. We support him and he wants to play and I support Dean and the way he deals with it. The whole system is completely crazy.”
“He was meant to be involved today and then he gets a phone call. It changes our plans completely.
“The whole thing is ridiculous. We're looking ahead to next week – what are we going to do then? We want to pick our best players. We're paying our best players to play a big game.”
Giles is clearly unhappy with the public way West Ham went about their approach in trying to sign Hogan but wouldn't say so publicly but agents were getting their information from somewhere.
“It's agents but they must be getting their information from somewhere,” he said.
“I'm not criticising other clubs but agents are getting their info somewhere. Someone needs to pick up the phone to me and not Scott. It's completely illegal.”
Brentford are not going to make a complaint to the FA but Giles called on the transfer windows, which are mandated by FIFA, to change it.
“What can you do (about it)? A more constructive process to look at the system and the January transfer window. Bigger clubs have been affected by this,” he said.
“It (not having a window) was a far better system. You never saw players dropping out and it reduced the power of agents and outside influences that affected the market.
“Players couldn't sit out indefinitely. There's no criticism of Scott whatsoever. There are outside influences affecting our squad.”
The situation is likely to run and run but, whether Hogan goes or stays, Giles wants it to reach a conclusion sooner rather than later.
“We could (set a deadline) and it's tempting to do that and have a Brentford transfer window. Maybe clubs will look at that. It's disrupting our season,” he said.
“We've got two games before the end of the transfer window. At some point Brentford has to draw a line and say no more of this.
“We're not having our team picked for us by outside influences from this football club. We've got to do what's right for Brentford.”
Giles explained further: “The quicker we can know where everything is going the better for everyone. I'm not going to make a deadline in a press conference but clubs may now go this way and say we're not going to deal up until the end of the window.
“On the last day and then you have a dilemma as to what you do with players. We'd need to replace him.
“If we need to bring someone in or other position, time runs out for us as well. We never got this when there was no window.
“Players weren't dropping out left, right and centre. It puts all the pressure on players.”
Giles admitted that he finds the situation unfair on Hogan, Smith as well as the rest of the Brentford squad.
He said: “I'm livid for Scott as it's unfair on him. I'm livid for Dean as it's completely unfair on him and the rest of the players as well.
“We have always said we need to transfer players in and out. We have a valuation and if it's met then we'll look to sell players.
“We won't have valuations not met and then players unsettled in a bid to get them to not play for us.”
