Ryan Woods feels Brentford will be an exciting place to be in the coming years as the club pushes for Premier League football. The 22-year-old midfielder, who has been an ever present in the league this season, was speaking after signing a new four-year contract to remain at Griffin Park until the summer of 2020. Ryan has spoken in recent weeks about his happiness at how things have been going and the former Shrewsbury Town man said he feels really at home in West London.
“I am really pleased to sign the contract and I am also really pleased with the way that things are going for me at the moment,” said Ryan, speaking to Bees Player after signing his contract. “I am excited now for the next four years to see what can happen at the club. We have all got Premier League aspirations so that is one place we all want to be in that time. I only came in last year but I feel really comfortable around the place. It is my home now and we have settled. My family enjoy it when they come down now. This is a good place to keep improving and a good place for me to get that game time.”
The central midfielder joined a year ago today from the Sky Bet League One Shrews and is already nearing 50 appearances for The Bees. After taking a few weeks to get to grips with Championship football, Ryan has started every league match since late September last year and he feels he has come a long way already in his time here.
“I feel like I have grown in leaps and bounds,” said Ryan. “When you first come into the Championship it is quite tough to get used to with the tempo and the athleticism of the players that you are playing against. I am taking that all in my stride now and I am trying to be the best player that I can be. This is the right place for me to do that. I am really pleased with the way things are going and the only way is up for me. I am working my socks off in training every day and on the pitch every Saturday. I am trying to be the best that I can be and that is only going to help the club in the long run as well.”
Ryan’s contract extension came on the same day that Rico Henry signed on a five-year deal from Walsall and Sullay Kaikai joined on a season-long loan deal from Crystal Palace. The duo, aged 19 and 21 respectively, joined 21-year-old Callum Elder, 23-year-olds John Egan and Daniel Bentley, and 24-year-old Romaine Sawyers as the additions to Dean Smith’s squad this summer. Ryan thinks it is great for the club to have such a young hungry squad which all share the same ambition to reach the Premier League.
“My aspiration is to play in the Premier League and I have four years now to do that,” said Ryan. “There is no point in us taking part in the competition if we don’t want to be in the Premier League. We have got a lot of stability here now and I am looking forward to seeing what the next four years hold. Players coming in are on longer term contracts so we know that we have got those players for at least that length of time to have a real kick on. We have good, young, hungry players and I think we can go far. Sometimes people might look and think that we have got a very young team but it is all about the number of games that we have played. That is your experience. If you are good enough then you are old enough and that is the way that I have always seen it. We have got a very young team and a very talented team and I think that we can very far.”