DIARRA DEAL IS NOT ON – SMITH
BRENTFORD manager Dean Smith insists he is not planning on signing former Real Madrid man Mahamadou Diarra, despite the veteran midfielder passing on his vast experience to the rest of his squad.
The 35-year-old, who has been capped 64 times by Mali, has been training with the west London outfit since the start of preseason.
Diarra won four Ligue 1 titles with Lyon and two La Liga titles with Los Galacticos.
But while Smith is enjoying his input, he says that after two years without a club following his release from Fulham in 2014, Diarra is not close to a contract offer.
“It’s not been discussed between me or Mo,” he said. “He’s come into the football club and training to try and get back to fitness. He’s been out for a long time and is no spring chicken at the moment.
“But he’s always on time, he’s humble and polite. That’s what has been so pleasurable about him coming here.
“He gets his head down and trains. He’s experienced and what he tells the younger lads is invaluable. What I like is he demands a lot of players in training and he’s helping us get the best out of them.”