2024/25 Premier League Preview - Brentford

Thomas Frank’s men had a tough 3rd campaign in the Premier League. Totalling only 39 points, 20 less than their previous season. Their lack of consistency had them in the bottom half for most of the season and was only good for a 16th place finish by the time the season came to an end. They of course had to make do without their in demand striker, Ivan Toney until his ban for breaching the FA’s betting regulations came to an end on January 17th. This sadly didn’t spark the shift in fortunes many Brentford fans would have expected. Toney struggled for form after initially finding the net in 4 out of 5 games following his return and ended the season without a goal in 12 matches. The uncertainty surrounding Toney now, is where his future lies. Many Premier League teams have already declared an interest in him however Brentford have placed a £60 million price tag on the striker in an attempt to deter any potential suitors. This does appear to have worked so far with no club making any formal bids due to Toney’s contract ending after this season. Tottenham were thought to have an interest but settled on a younger option by signing Dominic Solanke for a fee slightly higher than Brentford’s asking price.

Brentford definitely still have work to do, even if Toney is staying. As a team they topped the Premier League charts alongside Brighton with 10 errors leading to goals, a concerning statistic to say the least. What is arguably more concerning is that their back line and goalkeeper were responsible for 9 of the 10 errors which highlights their struggles to play out from the back, something that is heavily relied on when it comes to successful teams in the upper half of the league. With all this said, it looks as though Brentford want to completely overhaul their defence and are rumoured to be looking for 2 centre backs as well as a left back. Brentford already have a new player through the door in the form of Igor Thiago, the 6ft 3in Brazilian striker arrives on the back of a fantastic season in Belgium where he scored 29 goals in all competitions but they will have to do without him until Christmas at least after he sustained an injury in a pre season game. They also saw a move for midfielder Archie Gray fall through after he signed with Tottenham but despite this not going their way, it didn’t put them off and they strengthened further by bringing in Fábio Carvalho from Liverpool for £27.5m. What fans will be waiting for now is more defensive signings to ensure their defence doesn’t prove to be a problem for them again this season.

Much like many teams who finished in the bottom half last season, Brentford will be keen to add to their squad and make a push up the table but this will not be easy. The uncertainty of their best player is always going to loom over Brentford until the transfer window closes and it isn’t just Ivan Toney they need to be worried about with respect to going elsewhere. Thomas Frank has been linked with many managerial vacancies in the last few months, most notably Chelsea before they decided to appoint Enzo Maresca as well as Brighton after the departure of Roberto De Zerbi. “If a big club one day comes to knock on my door, then I need to consider it but it's not something I'm hunting.” was Frank’s response back in May when asked about his future.

Brentford's task to improve is seriously difficult. They don’t command much of a draw in terms of status or finance like some of the teams that finished in the bottom half last season which makes it difficult to produce the defensive rebuild they desperately need. They have a good batch of players who have been with the club for most, if not all of Brentford’s time in the Premier League and they will need to squeeze the best out their veterans as well as new faces being able to hit the ground running, in order to make a charge up the table. It would be logical to suggest at this stage that they are more likely to make minor improvements as Thomas Frank possesses too much managerial ability at this level to see Brentford in any worse position.

League prediction: 13th

Squad grade: C-

Manager grade: B