Guardian writers' predicted place: 18th (NB: this isn't essentially John Brewin's prediction however the common of our writers' ideas)
Final season's place: tenth
Prospects
The summer season has seen Brentford reworked from established and admired membership to being the enigma they as soon as arrived within the Premier League as. If something, even much less is thought about what awaits them than again in 2021. The departure of Thomas Frank eliminated the membership's public face, somebody who embodied and fronted the rise of one in every of London's smaller considerations. With out him, uncertainty is unavoidable.
Frank was an enormous asset to the membership, bordering on irreplaceable and so, Brentford should do issues otherwise, as all the time beneath the membership's idiosyncratic majority possession. There's heavy belief within the course of that benefactor Matthew Benham employed to determine Brentford, whereas Phil Giles is a extremely revered sporting director, on the membership for over a decade. The pair met in a unique sphere, the world of sporting statistics for betting functions. Their nice gamble this summer season is to interchange Frank with a rookie supervisor in Keith Andrews, appointed from inside. Many exterior punters now fancy Brentford for the drop.
Success or failure will come by way of these processes. Frank took three key members of employees in Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton to Tottenham. One other assistant, Claus Nørgaard, has additionally departed. The taking part in employees may even look markedly – and for followers, nearly definitely worryingly – completely different. Manchester United have been shaken down for the total valuation of Bryan Mbeumo whereas Yoane Wissa has agitated to observe his companion out the door, too.
If these two have been the biggest-name departures then additional on-field management has exited within the membership captain, Christian Nørgaard, the veteran centre-back Ben Mee and Mark Flekken, the favored, underrated goalkeeper. A really completely different Brentford will greet opponents subsequent season, with the ex-Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Caoimhin Kelleher instantly turning into essentially the most extensively recognised gamers at a freshly unknown amount in whom followers are requested to maintain the religion.
The supervisor
Keith Andrews is new within the job however he's not an unfamiliar face, having loved a prolonged media profession since his retirement from taking part in. Final season, Brentford followers turned used to the sight of Andrews on the sidelines as Frank's set-piece coach. Kieran McKenna, the Ipswich supervisor, was on the listing of possibles, as was the departed Cochrane for an additional inside appointment. In late June, Andrews, with little frontline managerial earlier past spells as assistant at MK Dons after which the Republic of Eire, was plumped for. He has enormous sneakers to fill, even when he does have the bountiful hair to match his beloved predecessor.
Off-field image
The summer season of nice change continued in July when Benham cashed out a minority stake of round 25%, for a deal valuing Brentford round £400m. The brand new minority house owners are the South Africa-based UK businessman and former Autoglass chief government Gary Lubner and the movie mogul Sir Matthew Vaughn, behind such movies as Lock Inventory And Two Smoking Barrels, Kick-Ass and Layer Cake. Vaughn can also be Mr Claudia Schiffer. Benham had been searching for new funding since late 2023, and the pair have paid £100m for his or her share of his Greatest Intentions Analytics holding firm. Vaughn has revealed he beforehand thought-about shopping for in 25 years in the past, when “it might have been less expensive”. The chief government, Jon Varney, and Giles will, although, proceed to run the membership everyday.
after publication promotion
Star signing
At 35, Jordan Henderson nonetheless has lots to show. There are doubts over his candidacy to be a member of Thomas Tuchel's England squad after ill-starred, and controversial, strikes to Saudi Arabia and Ajax. If many anticipated a return to his Sunderland roots, Henderson selected London, there maybe being little coincidence he's inside straightforward attain of a Tuchel scouting journey. Henderson, as a Premier League-winning captain, brings enormous expertise, the kind of management a membership shorn of key personnel would possibly search. However has he the legs to play the all-out urgent fashion Brentford favoured beneath Frank and extremely prone to proceed beneath Andrews?
Stepping up
Michael Kayode's mortgage transfer from Fiorentina was made everlasting in Could for a charge of £17.5m, after 12 spectacular Premier League appearances. The Italy Below-21 worldwide confirmed off his promise throughout that quick window, together with a rampaging overlapping right-back's efficiency in a 4-3 Could victory over Manchester United that confirmed off Frank's workforce at its risk-and-reward finest. “He was very sturdy,” mentioned the departed supervisor of a powerhouse efficiency from a participant who has assimilated nicely into the Bees' tradition. “A straightforward determination,” mentioned Giles as soon as the transfer was made everlasting. Kayode's lengthy throws signify a substantial addition to the already harmful set-piece repertoire Brentford can boast.
A giant season for
Fábio Carvalho is one other, although maybe forgotten, ex-Liverpool participant throughout the Brentford squad, somebody who fell sufferer to the spate of accidents that denied Brentford's push for Europe final season. Like Igor Thiago, the club-record signing striker whose first season was wrecked by a knee harm, a shoulder harm robbed the 22-year-old of the ultimate three months of 2024-25. Each Thiago and Carvalho will signify near-new additions to Brentford's squad. West London, when at Fulham, is the place Carvalho performed the most effective soccer of his profession although admittedly at Championship stage. Frank by no means fairly harnessed the Portugal Below-21 participant signed for £27.5m a yr in the past. “The brand new coaches have been nice – filled with vitality, contemporary concepts,” Carvalho mentioned throughout his membership's pre-season coaching camp.
