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Mamadou Sangaré’s former youth coach Mohamed Diarra has provided the lowdown on the midfielder as he gets set to join Brentford. Africa Foot have an interview with Diarra today, one of the Brentford signing’s youth coaches from the Yeelen Olympique academy. Brentford move pending Reports this week have indicated that Brentford are closing in on a €48m deal for the Lens midfielder, who was voted best African player in Ligue 1 last season. He is expected to sign a five-year deal with the bees. The 22-year-old arrives following a sensation season with Lens in which he was a key player for the French side, who finished second and qualified for the Champions League. That impressive campaign comes as no surprise to Diarra, who has known the midfielder from a young age. “He’s a shy kid, but incredibly intelligent and quick to react,” he said. “He used to impress everyone during the little reaction-speed games we played. He’s a young man who leads a very healthy lifestyle. His passion is cartoons. “While the others were making noise, he’d always be sitting in front of the screen. His life revolves around TV and football. He is constantly focused and never gets distracted. We used to say that if he didn’t go on to win the African Ballon d’Or, it would be a waste of talent.” A rising talent The impending move to Brentford is the latest step up for Mamadou Sangaré, who enjoyed a similar line of progression at youth level according to Diarra. “He’s a kid who didn’t play in the youth leagues, neither at the U13 nor U15 levels,” he added. “After his academy training, he went straight to the first team. He gradually found his rhythm and matured along the way. Regarding Red Bull Salzburg, I think clubs often lack the time to properly scout young players; otherwise, they could really take their game to the next level there. “He’s a tremendous player… He’s down-to-earth and likable. Wherever he’s played, he’s shown his quality. At Rapid Vienna, he demonstrated leadership, just as he did at Racing Club de Lens. In fact, he was named the Best African Player of the season.” Brentford ideal The question is now whether he can translate that to the Premier League. Brentford have every confidence that he can, particularly given he’s been linked to European heavyweights such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid. Diarra is glad he’s avoided such clubs. Instead, he believes that Brentford could be an ideal location. “Brentford is a good choice…” he concluded. “They are established, solid teams. At Brentford, they can afford to be patient, unlike Chelsea or Real Madrid. He will adapt better to the demands of English football, which is different from the French Ligue 1. I wish him a great professional career.”