James Tarkowski said the decision to move to Brentford from Oldham Athletic was the “right choice”.
The central defender joined The Bees yesterday for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old agreed a three and a half year contract and will stay at Brentford until the end of the 2016/17 season.
Speaking to Bees Player after completing the deal, James said he was “excited” to be joining a club that was “very ambitious”.
He admitted it was a big decision to leave Oldham, where he had come through the youth ranks, but having spoken to people at Brentford and his family he knew it was the right move.
“I’m excited,” said James.
“It has come late in the Transfer Window and it has been a long time coming.
“There has been lots of speculation in the papers and I have been trying to avoid it and concentrate on football.
“I have agreed a deal at a club that is very ambitious and looking to go places.
“I heard from Brentford about two weeks ago.
“It went quiet for a while and, when it got late, people pushed things on and it has come about.
“It is a massive decision for me.
“I will move to London, a place I don’t really know anything about.
“It is something I was nervous about.
“When the move first came up, it put me off.
“But I spoke to friends that had moved down here to play and to my family and people at the Club.
“This is the right choice for me.
“Brentford is a club I hope will be in The Championship next season.
“That is where I want to play my football.”
James said he knew Brentford Owner Matthew Benham was ambitious and wanted to see the Club established in The Championship in the near future.
He said Brentford were recognised as a top club in League One and he wanted to join a club that, under Manager Mark Warburton, played the right way and wanted to progress.
“The owner is ambitious,” said James.
“I spoke to the manager and a few other people around the Club.
“They were very positive.
“I am really looking forward to it.
“You can see from what Mark Warburton has done on the pitch he wants to take Brentford as high as he can and it is going well.
“To get 47 points from 51 is outrageous.
“Not many teams will get close to that.
“His philosophy is something I am keen on.
“I was brought up playing football the right way.
“That attracted me.
“Brentford are being recognised as a top club in this league.
“In other seasons Brentford have been considered to be punching above their weight by being at the top.
“This season teams know Brentford are a top team, probably the best in the league.
“The Club is going places.
“I hear about a new stadium and it will be massive for this club to be in The Championship.
“The plan is then to stay there and push on further.
“That is a big part of why I came here.”
James said Mark Warburton had told him he would fit in to the Brentford system.
“Mark has seen me play quite a bit,” he said.
“I played here for Oldham and he knows my style of play.
“He sees I would fit in perfectly.
“Brentford are about scoring goals.
“My job is to defend but if I can help out in the attacking play, I will.
“I am a ball playing centre half but I will get stuck in, I will head it and defend when I have to.
“I was brought up in midfield to pass the ball on the floor.”
James will return to Oldham on loan when the loan window opens next Saturday, February 8.
He said he wanted to help the club that launched his career away from the League One relegation zone.
It would also give him time to make preparations to move to London.
“The Oldham Chairman mentioned it and I felt it might help me settle down a bit better,” said James.
“If I had come straight down it would have been a rush and doing it all in two days, finding a place to live.
“The loan gives me a chance to get everything sorted.
“I can also help out Oldham, a club that helped me.
“They gave me a stepping stone and a chance.
“I am looking forward to coming here but also helping out Oldham, they are in a tricky situation at the moment.”
Bees Player subscribers can see a full video interview with James Tarkowski here.