The man responsible for giving many Brentford fans the best night of their lives has been shown the exit door.
Sergi Canos has produced an endless supply of magical moments but nobody will ever forget his sumptuous goal against Arsenal on the opening night of the 2021-22 season. The winger’s strike flew past Bernd Leno to prompt wild celebrations. It marked Brentford’s triumphant return to the top flight after a 74-year absence and it was their first goal in the Premier League.
First #PL goal for the Bees via @sergicanos 🐝#GoalOfTheDay x @BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/XqWM84qcaF
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 28, 2022
However, 18 months later and his time at the club is virtually over. Canos completed a loan move to Greek side Olympiacos on deadline day. He has six months left on his contract at Brentford and, although there is an option for an extra year, it looks as if he has played his final game for the club he joined in 2015.
Advertisement
Despite initially signing on loan from Liverpool for six months, the precocious winger lit up Griffin Park and stayed for the entire 2015-16 season. He returned to Liverpool and then joined Norwich City permanently but it only took six months for him to return to his true home. Ever since, Canos has played an integral role in Brentford’s evolution from a mid-table Championship team into a Premier League force.
Alan McCormack was a member of Brentford’s squad when Canos joined on loan. McCormack, who is now a coach for Luton Town’s academy, described him as a “quiet and shy” 18-year-old.
“We had been told a young lad from Liverpool was coming in who had been at Barcelona so there was a lot of excitement and he didn’t disappoint,” McCormack told The Athletic in November 2021. “You could see the class and quality he had. He was very enthusiastic and skilful and could run at people. He was always creating, assisting and scoring and you could tell he would go on to big things.
#TBT
🎵Oh Sergi Canos, oooh ahhh, I wanna know how you scored that goal 🎵
It’s two years to the day since @sergicanos announced himself with that strike against Reading pic.twitter.com/IH6oHdhgiK
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) December 28, 2017
“He would spend time with specialist coaches to help his game out. If there was anything that could help him out even one per cent, Sergi was always interested in learning.
“We were delighted when he came back (in January 2017). He’s a great lad off the pitch and you will always see him smiling. He was always happy and he brought that atmosphere to the dressing room. He was a major benefit for the club and group.”
It is a testament to Canos’ ability that he played under four different head coaches: Marinus Dijkhuizen, Lee Carsley, Dean Smith and Thomas Frank. Brentford’s squad constantly evolved in the Championship, but he was always viewed as a crucial piece of the puzzle. He got involved in a lot of the club’s community projects and mentored members of the B team as well.
Hi @BrentfordFC. There’s something I want to tell you ❤️ Thank you. pic.twitter.com/eHokWvPtdC
— Sergi Canós Tenés (@sergicanos) January 31, 2023
“We were not prepared to play in the Premier League when I came on loan,” Canos told The Athletic at an event in October. “But everything in this place has lifted. We are just better and that’s from years of work from everyone from the chef to the staff. Everyone is better as professionals.”
Advertisement
In October 2019, Canos suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. He returned to action in July and came off the bench in the 2020 Championship play-off final against Fulham, but could not help Brentford avoid a crushing defeat.
I can’t describe the feeling of Tuesday night. It’s one of the toughest nights in our career. I just want to thank your amazing support over this year, you’ve been amazing❤️🐝 @BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/XwXynBXba5
— Sergi Canós Tenés (@sergicanos) August 7, 2020
He hit top form the following season playing with Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo up front. However, in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign, Frank switched to a 3-5-2 formation and converted Canos into a wing-back. It was a move that propelled Brentford into another play-off campaign, which was successful. Canos held onto his new role in the top flight and performed admirably, even though he was not entirely comfortable.
“They are two completely different positions,” he told The Athletic in October. “As a winger, you have more flexibility to just attack. It’s easier and I enjoy it more. I like to create, to score goals and as a wing back you can do it, but it’s more difficult to get involved in all these situations especially in the best league in the world.”
Canos made 31 Premier League appearances in the 2021-22 campaign and still managed to be directly involved in five goals (three goals, two assists). The arrival of Aaron Hickey last summer and Mads Roerslev’s improvement squeezed him out of contention at wing-back, though, while the competition for spots further forward is even fiercer. Brentford have spent heavily on exciting, young attacking prospects such as Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter.
Canos was struggling with a hamstring injury at the beginning of this season too, but since he returned to full fitness in October, he has managed just 73 minutes in the league.
Advertisement
A few weeks ago, The Athletic asked Frank about the balancing act of integrating new players, keeping the entire squad happy and recognising when it might be best to say goodbye to someone. “It’s very difficult,” Brentford’s head coach replied. “You build a relationship and you want to care for everyone but you can only play 11. So there’s a certain time for the team and the footballer — and hopefully, we agree when that time is — to either continue or maybe leave the club.”
A couple of weeks later, before Brentford’s match against Bournemouth, Frank was asked directly about Canos’ future following reports linking him with a potential move to Spain.
“He is still a very important player,” Frank said. “Like any other player, we are open to listening to clubs and then we say yes or no. Sergi is the longest-serving player in this squad — he has had a fantastic time here, so many great things he has been a part of.”
Frank usually bats away questions about a player’s future, so admitting the club would consider offers for Canos felt like the first concrete sign the relationship was coming to an end. He only came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of Brentford’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham United in the FA Cup and was left out of the squad to face Leeds United. Frank explained it was because “other players trained better than him” and denied it was related to a certain social media post…
Loved every second of that game😍
1 game of 31 games last season where I got to enjoy playing where I’m supposed to play🙂 https://t.co/jh6pWqP2ZH
— Sergi Canós Tenés (@sergicanos) January 19, 2023
There is clearly frustration from Canos about how his exit has been handled. The 25-year-old lives a short walk away from the old Griffin Park site and just around the corner from the new Gtech Community Stadium. He is only one game away from making 250 appearances for the club but it looks like a milestone too far.
“The other day I was in Sainsbury’s and someone came up to me with his two kids,” Canos recalled in October. “He was just so happy to see me, more than the kids! He told me, ‘Thanks for lifting this place’. It’s not only the club, it’s the community we are growing and that made me so happy that someone on the streets recognised and told me this.”
It has been a slightly sour conclusion to six excellent years in west London, plus an unforgettable loan spell, yet Canos’ impact will never be forgotten.
Advertisement
(Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2pra2lnZ3xzfJFsZmlpX2h%2BcL%2FEq56iZZOWu7C%2FjJupnqakm7yzsIyoo7KloJ6upLvSaA%3D%3D