James Tarkowski is not the be all and end all at Brentford after swapping Griffin Park for Burnley on transfer deadline day.

The 23-year-old centre back penned a three and a half year deal with the Clarets on Monday to finally seal a move to Turf Moor.

Tarkowski has been looking for a move north to be closer to his family since the autumn, as his sick mother's condition worsens.

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Out of hope: Head coach Dean Smith had felt he could persuade James Tarkowski to stay at Brentford

The former Oldham Athletic youngster had discussed a move with the Bees prior to Christmas, but it was not until the eve of Brentford's 3-1 defeat to Burnley that it became publicly clear he wanted away.

Tarkowski, who has since issued an apology to the club, his team-mates and fans, refused to play that game as he contemplated a move to the fomer Premier League club.

Head coach Dean Smith had said he felt he could persuade the centre back to stay at the club only last week.

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Disappointed: Brentford co-director of football Phil Giles

But he had to admit defeat once Burnley matched the asking price for one of his star men.

“It is disappointing to lose James. He is a very good player, everyone at the club knows that," he said.

"He had made his feelings clear that he wanted to be closer to his parents in the north.

"As a football club we were very sympathetic to that and we always said we would be happy to let James go as long as our valuation was met.

“Unfortunately, we had the incident a couple of weeks ago where we had bids for James that were nowhere near our valuation.

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"Our valuation has now been met. We are losing a good player, but I would rather have players that are fully committed to the football club.

“The time I have spent with James has been very good. He has been very coachable and he wants to get better.

"He has been a big personality in the dressing room and he will be a loss, but he is not irreplaceable.”

Tarkowski was disciplined over his refusal to play for the Bees, but Brentford's co-director of football Phil Giles suggest the two parties headed their separate ways on good terms.

"We have always said in private to James that we will support him in whatever way we could, but also that we were unable to let him leave without Brentford receiving the proper compensation," he added.

"For this reason the transfer talks have been protracted, and could not be concluded until a deal with Burnley that met our valuation had been agreed. 

“We felt that James was wrong to make himself unavailable for selection against Burnley in January.

"As a club we cannot condone such actions, which is why disciplinary action followed.

"To his credit, James accepted the sanction and issued an apology while also describing his personal situation in his statement.

"Having concluded a transfer we can now draw a line under this matter, and wish James and his family well for the future."

Following Tarkowski out of the Brentford exit door is Josh Laurent, who has signed for League Two strugglers Hartlepool United on a free transfer.

The 20-year-old former QPR trainee, who spent only a year with the club, made his Bees debut in a Capital One Cup defeat to Oxford United earlier this season.

Montell Moore and Ryan Williams have also been released.

Earlier in the window, Sergi Canos and John Swift extended their stays at Griffin Park, while midfielder Toumani Diagouraga penned a switch to Leeds United.