Finley Stevens: Brentford’s young Bee who now has ambitions for Wales

Brentford’s Finley Stevens is in line to make his debut for Wales’ Under-21’s side but his journey to international football hasn’t been straightforward.

He was released by Arsenal in 2019, having spent 10 years in the side’s youth setup. A setback like that would have crushed many other youngsters, but not Stevens.

In search of first-team football, he dropped down to the Isthmian League Premier Division, signing for local side Worthing.

During his season there he played 20 times before the season was curtailed because of the Coronavirus.

“I don’t really give up often,” Stevens said. “I just kept going and wanting to be a footballer.

“I made my way down to Worthing and played week in week out, then Brentford picked me up and I’ve been doing well ever since.

“I just did my best with where I was at the time and made do with what I had, luckily I was seen by Brentford in the end.”

Last summer the 17-year-old signed his first professional contract with Brentford. He joined their B team for an undisclosed fee from Worthing.

He was fast-tracked to the senior team, being named on Thomas Frank’s bench for the opening game of the season against Middlesbrough.

His first-team debut came soon came in the League Cup against London rivals Fulham, replacing Said Benrahma for the final 10 minutes.

“It’s nerve-racking to start with, but obviously there are no fans so it’s not too bad,” he said. “It came really early and I wasn’t expecting it. It was a bit of a surreal moment for me.”

Since that substitute appearance, the 17-year-old has started twice for the Bees, both times in the FA Cup.

During Brentford’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, he lined up in the midfield. His excellent performance earned him another start in the next round against Leicester, where he played at left-back.

It was Arsenal, where he was coming up through the ranks with Yunus Musah, who is now a first-team regular in La Liga for Spanish giants Valencia.

Musah made his senior international debut for the USA against Wales and that is something Stevens may perhaps emulate, as he praises Wales’ player pathway of the intermediate squads to the seniors.

Wales currently have a long list of talented young right-backs, so Stevens’ versatility will open up more opportunities into senior team later down the line.

Born in Brighton, Stevens qualifies for Wales through his Cardiff-born grandfather. It was through multiple conversations with U21 boss Paul Bodin which led the fullback to declare for Wales.

“We were having chats here and there, then he came and watched one of my games,” the youngster recalls.

“I caught him after the game and spoke to him, he told me he was looking to bring me into the camp.

“The pathway to the first team is better [than England], the gap between them [Senior side] and us [U21] isn’t too big.

“The opportunity is there as long as you keep doing well.”

With it being the start of a new campaign, Stevens is one of many new faces in the U21 side.

Two of his Brentford B teammates, Nathan Sheppard and Joe Adams have helped him settle into life in the Wales camp.

“I’m not the only new one but I know some of the boys here and they’re helping me settle in nicely.”

“I know Joe and Nath, so they’ve helped me settle in and shown me around. Everyone has been welcoming so it’s been nice.”

For Stevens and his new teammates, the upcoming friendly against the Republic of Ireland is an opportunity to get to know each other.

They will also begin preparations for the upcoming U21 Euros qualification starts later this year.

(Featured Image: James Boyes)