On Monday afternoon, Championship side Brentford FC announced the signing of highly rated Southend midfielder Dru Yearwood on a 4 year deal for a fee believed to be £500,000 in addition to a sell on fee. What can Brentford fans expect and is it the right move for all parties?
Dru Yearwood is a name renowned with the Southend faithful since impressing then manager Phil Brown in pre-season of 2017. The youngster, who was at the tender age of 17 was offered a four year professional deal showing a clear potential. What is also important to remember is that Yearwood only started playing central midfield from the age of 16 and previously lined up as a winger.
It was very clear that Southend had hold of a gem, with many national newspapers eyeing the midfielder suggesting he was one for the future. Yearwood quickly made an impact, appearing 27 times in his first season at Southend, registering 5 assists. It was his physicality and marauding runs that caught the eye of supporters, linking up well alongside an experienced midfield. Yearwood was to be rewarded for his successes with an England u17s callup. However the season ended in heart break for the Apprentice of the Year nominee, when a hamstring injury meant he had to withdraw from the squad.
What was clear to see however is that Dru never fully recovered from this. The “run yourself into the ground” mentality which had been shown in his debut season seemed to be missing, there was an air of recklessness, shown in his red card at Charlton, and an awful first touch let the youngster down on many occasions. In addition to this, Yearwood’s finishing ability seemed questionable with the youngster still waiting for his first professional goal.
However, Dru cannot be entirely blamed for this drop in form. The truth is, the majority of the squad saw a dip in form, resulting in a relegation battle. 33 appearances later, Yearwood helped form part of the team that heroically survived on the final day vs Sunderland. Despite missing a one on one early on in the game, Dru was a stand out figure in midfield, keeping control of the ball and showing the levels of mental toughness needed on a final day relegation scrap.
It is the photo above however that summed up Dru’s 8 years with the Essex side. His mother Kaye, was a well known face amongst Southend fans, attending all of Yearwood’s games, and becoming just as much a supporter as anyone else, bursting with pride as an 87th minute goal prevented relegation. Yearwood knew his form wasn’t suitable but still gave 100% effort. As fans, we knew Dru would always take the step up to the Championship however some feel the move is too soon in the youngster’s career.
There have been numerous times when Southend players have searched for pastures new too early in their career and suffered as a result. You only have to mention Kane Ferdinand to think “what if?” The 26 year old left the Blues in 2012 for Peterborough United, and after loans at Luton and Northampton, moved to League Two Cheltenham Town in the 14/15 season. The midfielder is now playing his football for National League Woking- a wasted talent no doubt.
The second example of a youngster leaving too early in his career is Leigh on Sea born Jack Payne. The little maestro was a fan favourite amongst Shrimpers, reminding us of our very own Lionel Messi, scoring live on Sky Vs Sheffield United and totalling 17 goals and 11 assists in 88 games. Payne retracted an already accepted contract offer in hopes of securing a move to the Championship. A tribunal then secured 400k from Huddersfield Town much to the dismay of Phil Brown. Things looked to be going well for Payne, scoring the winner away at Newcastle United. The youngster made 28 appearances, mainly off the bench before being shipped out on loan after the Terriers won promotion to the Premier League. A journeyman, Payne has been loaned to Blackburn, Oxford and Bradford securing 17 goals and 22 assists in 99 appearances. Payne has since signed a deal with Danny Cowley’s Lincoln in hopes of reviving his career.
Things aren’t always bad for those who move on however. Dan Bentley, another promising Shrimper, also moved to Brentford where he won the London Football Awards Goalkeeper of the Year 2018 beating the likes of Heurelho Gomes, Adrian, Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois. Bentley managed a total of 22 clean sheets in the Championship and has since managed a move to Championship hopefuls Bristol City.
So is the move a good one for Dru? Will he fulfil his potential or become another wasted talent? One thing is for sure that Brentford are a brilliant club to make the step up to. The West London Side do not have a youth academy. Instead, they buy prospects from the lower leagues, develop them and then move them on for a profit, shown by the likes of Dan Bentley, John Egan and Romain Sawyers to name a few. Brentford will no doubt bring the best out in Dru but the club do have a number of players who can play the midfield role, meaning game time may be hard to come by. The Bees already have Jensen, Da Silva, Norgaard and Mokotjo fighting for a place in the starting XI meaning there is very little room for error in what is a massive step up.
It is clear though, that this move is nothing short of what Dru deserves. His attitude is second to none and there is undeniable talent that can help see him through rough patches in his career. I hope it is a successful move and the Brentford fans can look forward to a young midfielder who is attack minded and will look for the forward pass at all times. As Brentford enter their new era, Dru could be the man to be moulded into the perfect club captain. I wish him and his family all the best. Druuuuuuuuu!
The SS2 View 