Loyalty no longer exists in football.

I don’t mean that players are disloyal because they kiss a badge and pledge a tearful allegiance, before deciding to move on the following day.

What I mean is, loyalty does not even come into the equation any more.

Scrub “loyalty” out of the football dictionary.

In the new clinical world of football business and demand for success, there is no time for loyalty.

Loyalty, like lunch, is for wimps.

It is time fans of a certain older generation, like me, realise that times have changed and football players no longer owe allegiance to fans or a badge.

Instead, they are assets belonging to ever-evolving brands and businesses.

And to survive, businesses need to be at the top of their game – in the Premier League.

Andre Gray’s move to Burnley left Marinus Dijkhuizen ruing the loss of 25 goals – maybe he should have done more to keep hold of the striker.

So many of last season’s Bees heroes have been allowed to walk out the door because the club want to try a different approach to the top flight.

Players are commodities to be passed between clubs all looking for the perfect mix to achieve the best rise to success.

They come in for wadges of cash, get fans excited by goals and promise, and are then allowed to leave when the rise fails.

When you are making around £9m on the sale of a player, you cannot blame a club for selling on, but at the same time, if you’re going to lose 25 goals for that money, is it not wiser to keep hold of that asset?

I am not suggesting that when I was a lad, players were not bought and sold, but consider this: Of the players with most appearances for Bees, only one, Kevin O’Connor, played this millennium.

Jamie Bates (1986-1999) is next on the list, followed by Keith Millen (1984-1984) and Danis Salman (1975-1986).

Today, such assets would not get the chance to settle down.