‘A footballing alien’: Mamadou Sangaré soars to Premier League heights

Brentford’s Mali midfielder stood out when he was six and has shone in the Premier League since £39m transfer

“When I first saw him, I thought to myself: ‘Who on earth is this player?’ laughs Youness Bengelloun as he remembers Mamadou Sangaré. With the transfer window in full swing in July 2025, the former Manchester City scout and agent was not expecting to come face to face with a “footballing alien”, but that proved the case during a visit to Rapid Vienna’s training ground. A few weeks later, Sangaré moved to Lens for around €5m. “He was impressive and what struck me was his technique and his work rate,” Bengelloun says.

That’s more or less the impression Sangaré has made at every club he’s played for, including Brentford, for whom the Mali midfielder signed, from Lens, for a club-record £39m at the start of August. The 24-year-old excelled in his debut against Tottenham a few weeks later, dominating the centre of the pitch and providing the assist for Keane Lewis-Potter’s opening goal, and has featured in every game this season, with Brighton up next. “I gave him his debut for Mali in September 2024, against Mozambique. He made an immediate impact,” says Sangaré’s former international manager Tom Saintfiet. “He’s every manager’s dream player.”