Josh Dasilva says his mum cried when he decided to leave Arsenal, but he felt he needed to go somewhere with a clear plan for him.

Josh Dasilva came through the academy at Arsenal, eventually breaking into the first team under Arsene Wenger for a few League Cup appearances, as well as a number of games on the bench in the Europa League and FA Cup.

At the same time, Dasilva was playing for the Arsenal u23s, and by the end of the campaign he’d captained the side to the Premier League 2 title – playing alongside Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, and Joe Willock, among others.

Yet whilst Nketiah, Smith Rowe, and Nelson are still at Arsenal, and Willock stuck around for a bit longer before his move to Newcastle United, Dasilva opted to leave that summer.

The young midfielder’s contract was expiring, so he had the freedom to choose his next club, and he opted for Championship side Brentford.

146 appearances later, Dasilva is still a regular for Brentford in the Premier League, with a contract until 2024 and an option for a further year.

Reflecting on his Arsenal departure in an interview with The Beautiful Game Podcast, Dasilva explained that it had nothing to do with money, just a plan for his next steps.

“It was just a sense of value,” Dasilva said. “I know there were rumours saying I was asking for a crazy amount. Nonsense. I went to Brentford and took less money. I got offers from other clubs and took less money. It was never about the money.

“I could’ve went to Birmingham [City], I could’ve went to clubs abroad. For me, I just wanted to have a clear plan and feel valued.

“As you said, I was doing quite well (at Arsenal), so it wasn’t like I was playing rubbish. We thought ‘What’s the next step? Where can I take the next step?’

“It was hard…talking to my mum now, she told me when I told her that I was leaving she was crying. She cried, she prayed, because they thought I was destined to play for Arsenal, I’d been there for so long.

“But I just wasn’t feeling it at the time, and to be honest, my brother and my agents, they’re the ones that put the most belief in me.

“I wanted to leave, but I was like ‘I don’t mind staying’. But they were like ‘Josh, you don’t understand how good you are, you can go out and play in the Championship and your value will be through the roof’.

“I believe in myself, and these guys, my closest people, they know me from top to bottom. And they believe that I can play, so let’s go for it.”

Dasilva spent three seasons in the Championship with Brentford, playing a particularly significant role for the side in the promotion pushes of 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Despite often playing deep in midfield, Dasilva contributed to 23 goals in his 72 Championship games across those two campaigns.

2019/20 ended in heartbreak, with Brentford losing the play-off final to Fulham, but the next year they turned it around with a play-off final win over Swansea City.

Now a Premier League club, the competition for places has certainly gone up. Dasilva isn’t a nailed-on starter anymore, but 14 starts and 16 substitute appearances from Brentford’s 31 games show he’s still a key member of the squad.

At 24, there’s undoubtedly still time for the midfielder to get back to starting every week for Brentford, and it’s hard to argue with his decision to move across London back in 2018.