Gary Neville was in the Arsenal tunnel ahead of their Gunners' clash with Coventry City and caught Brandon Thomas-Asante for an interview, catching him off guard
Gary Neville and Brandon Thomas-Asante
Gary Neville and Brandon Thomas-Asante
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville put Brandon Thomas-Asante on the spot and asked if Salford City still receive a cash boost from his contract at Coventry City. Thomas-Asante enjoyed a three-year spell at the club owned by Neville.
"Do Salford still have any bonuses left in your contract for any goals you score this season?" chirped Neville, with a laugh at the Emirates.
"You'll have to tell me," replied Thomas-Asante. "I think I owe you more than that anyway, you've been top for me."
Thomas-Asante scored 30 goals and made 126 appearances for Salford City as he earned a £300,000 move to West Bromwich Albion to step up from League Two to the Championship. Neville and co had previously prised Thomas-Asante from National League side Ebbsfleet Town, where he made just three appearances.
Don't miss Saturday's souvenir edition of the Coventry Telegraph with reactions, pictures, and reports from Coventry City's return to the Premier League
The forward's rise continued as he joined Coventry after two seasons at the Hawthorns and ultimately helped Frank Lampard's side win promotion last term. He can now establish himself as a Premier League star after being named in the starting lineup to face the Gunners.
Thomas-Asante also spoke about making the step up to the Premier League by facing champions Arsenal on the opening day of the season. "It's an honour," he said.
"It's another step in the right direction. Grateful for the journey, for people like yourself that helped every step of the way."
Coventry City supporters
Coventry City supporters before the Premier League match between Arsenal and Coventry City at Emirates Stadium on August 21, 2026 in London, England.
Asked what Coventry could show teams this season, Thomas-Asante focused on the team's character and the attributes they were unable to show in an outstanding Championship title win.
"I think potentially the way last season went, we had a lot of things in our favour in terms of we had a lot of good moments. This season, there are going to be a lot of times we're up against more quality.
"One thing we can really show is the character that we've got. I think we built that in the season before last and we've had a lot of time together as a squad. We're going to show people it's not just the easy times, but when we have to crack down, we've got that in us as well."
City boss Lampard believes Thomas-Asante is among the players raring to go in the Premier League. “I want them to go in with a lot of belief," he said.
"There’s hopefully a good energy about players that haven't played at this level that are desperate to play and deserve to be here and I'm talking players like Ephron Mason-Clark, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Matt Grimes.
“Players who spent a long, long time working in the Championship with the aim ‘Can I get to the Premier League?’.
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“I think that's a good energy for us which we have to tap into, I think everyone should feel the same and it starts at Arsenal, you can’t start with a harder place to go.”