Brentford goalkeeper Richard Lee hopes Simon Moore proves to have made the right decision in leaving the club for Cardiff City.
Moore this week joined the Premier League newcomers for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract.
The 23-year-old was forced into a difficult decision, says Lee, consulting family and friends and speaking with Lee at length before making his choice.
And although Lee, who acted as a mentor to Moore at Griffin Park, believes his former understudy has all the attributes to play at the top level, he admits only time will tell whether he has made the right choice.
“Simon found it incredibly tough because of the connection he has with Brentford and the fans, and the fact Brentford have done so much for him over the last few years,” Lee told West London Sport .
“There were a lot of phone calls, a lot of discussions with his family and the Brentford manager Uwe Rosler and he didn’t take the decision lightly.
“But the overriding factor was that he felt this is something that can really help him and his family in the long term and was a fantastic opportunity for his career.
“He is hoping he can force his way into Cardiff’s first team and become a Premier League goalkeeper a lot sooner than he thought.
“I can completely understand his view-point and I thoroughly believe he has all the attributes to do that.”
However, Lee warned: “You need a crystal ball to be able to see what is going to happen for Simon over the next two or three years.
“He won’t know whether it was the right or wrong choice until a few years have passed.”
A number of clubs were linked with Moore before Cardiff made their move to sign him.
He was widely touted as one for the future, so had a decision to make after being given the chance to move on sooner rather than later.
“There were so many arguments to be had from all sides and we kept going back and forth when we spoke about it,” Lee explained.
“We went through everything; if he carried on at Brentford, the financial aspect, the fact he could go to Cardiff and not play at all.
“Things are still very much about his development at the moment. He’s still a baby in goalkeeping terms so it would be pointless for him to go somewhere just to train, and not play.
“That would defeat the whole object if he went backwards over the next few years, and he won’t achieve the dreams he has.
“There are examples of goalkeepers who have made that step up and been successful, like Joe Hart and Ben Foster, but there are also examples of players who have been lost in the system and you never hear from them again.
“You could argue Simon’s move both ways and it is not necessarily the right or wrong choice.
“You would need to see in to the future in order to know, but Simon is fully appreciative of that.”
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