Ellery Balcombe has signed a contract extension with Brentford, and will continue to play for the club until 2029.

Brentford have officially announced that they have extended the contract of goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe to three years, running until the summer of 2029, with the club having an option to extend for another year.  

Ellery Balcombe, 26, joined Brentford's youth academy at the age of eight and rose through the ranks to the first team. This contract extension means his partnership with the club is expected to exceed 20 years, further highlighting his important role in the team's long-term development system.  

Brentford manager Keith Andrews said: "Ellery Balcombe is very important to the team. Sometimes, when a player doesn't start often, his contributions and impact on the club can easily be overlooked. But in our view, his value is very clear."  

“Ellery Balcombe has spent a long time at Brentford, growing from an academy player to a professional, and he has a very deep understanding of the club. Although he has had several loan spells before, since I took over the team, I have been able to clearly see his contributions in training and daily work. He is very professional and always maintains a high standard, an attitude that has benefited the entire goalkeeping team.”  

“We currently have an excellent and stable goalkeeping team. Manu Sotello is in charge of training the first team goalkeepers, and everyone plays an important role in it. Ellery Balcomb maintains a high level of training commitment every day and keeps improving his level through continuous efforts, which keeps the competition for the goalkeeper position in good shape.”  

Brentford's Director of Football, Phil Giles, also spoke highly of Ellery Balcombe, saying, "Ellery Balcombe has been with the club for a long time and has witnessed the tremendous changes that have taken place at Brentford over the years. He has played a very important role in the team's development, which is commendable. Whether in training or in his daily work, he always maintains a positive attitude and constantly reminds everyone around him to adhere to the highest standards."  

"Judging solely from his first-team appearances, Ellery Balcombe may not yet have received the recognition commensurate with his contributions. But what he needs to do is continue to work hard and strive to earn his place in the team. I'm glad he'll remain here for the next few seasons and have the opportunity to achieve that goal."  

Ellery Balcombe represented England at the U18, U19 and U20 levels before signing his first professional contract with Brentford in 2016. Two years later, in the summer of 2018, he was officially promoted from the youth academy to the club's first team, beginning a new phase of his professional career.  

During his development into a first-team player, Ellery Balcombe accumulated a wealth of loan spells. In addition to playing for Brentford B, he also had loan spells at Bollhamwood, Viborg, Doncaster Rovers, Burton Albion, Bromley, Crawley, and Bristol Rangers, gaining valuable playing experience at various clubs.  

During his time at Bromley, Ellery Balcombe kept a clean sheet in an FA Cup match at Wembley Stadium, helping his team to a 1-0 victory over Wrexham. In August 2023, he finally earned his first-team debut for Brentford, making a significant step in his career in the second round of the League Cup against Newport County. To date, this remains his only official first-team appearance for Brentford.  

In that match, Brentford and Newport County were tied 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation time. In the penalty shootout, Ellery Balcombe displayed exceptional save ability, denying two penalties to help Brentford win 3-0 and advance to the next round at Rodney Stadium.

In the first half of the 2024/25 season, Ellery Balcombe joined St Mirren on loan in Scotland, making 26 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and UEFA competitions. In January of the following year, his loan spell at St Mirren ended, and he joined another Scottish team, Motherwell.  

Last season, Ellery Balcombe remained with Brentford's first team and made an appearance in a preseason friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach. During the full season, he was included in the matchday squad three times, ultimately finishing ninth in the Premier League under Keith Andrews.  

Following his contract extension, Ellery Balcombe will remain at Brentford and compete for the goalkeeper position. He will continue to maintain high standards in training, striving to improve his abilities and earn more opportunities to represent the first team in the future.  

Image source: Internet/Brentford official website