Romaine Sawyers out to prove Brentford have bagged a bargain

Brentford forward Romaine Sawyers believes he can sneak under the Championship radar and prove the Bees have bagged a bargain.

The 24-year-old moved to Griffin Park on a free transfer from Walsall this summer and has helped them win two of their opening three Sky Bet Championship games.

Strikers Ross McCormack and Dwight Gayle have been signed by Aston Villa and Newcastle for £12million and a reported £10million respectively as clubs spend big in the race for the Premier League.

But Sawyers, who was named in the Sky Bet League One Team of the Season last term, wants to show he can cut it in the division without a major transfer fee.

"Hopefully, whether a transfer fee is involved or not it's a season for me to make a name for myself at this level. Now the step up has been made let's show people why I have made the step up and the reports they have heard from last season are true," he said.

"People might have expected more if there was a fee but I'm not running round with my price tag on the back of my shirt where people are going to say 'he's worth this and that'. You go and show your own worth.

"The key is momentum, I have that from last season and have to keep pushing and working harder to progress as a person and be part of a jigsaw."

Sawyers reunited with Bees boss Dean Smith, who managed him at Walsall, as Brentford beat off late interest from Wigan - who also had a bid turned down by the Saddlers in January.

The St Kitts and Nevis international scored seven goals at the Saddlers as they finished third and lost in the play-off semi finals to Barnsley and insisted the lure of working with Smith again was impossible to refuse.

He said: "It was massively key in my decision, there were options there but when Brentford made themselves an option it spoke for itself from a playing and ambition point of view. It's an added bonus the gaffer and Richard (O'Kelly, assistant), who managed me for the best part of my career, were here.

"I had ambitions to play Championship football and Brentford were my number one choice, even playing against them in League One I thought they were the best team. I've always had a little fancy to them."