Let’s be honest, no one really knows what’s going to happen to the Bees this season. From the head coach to the star players, there’s been an unprecedented turnover and it has made Brentford wonderfully unpredictable over these next 9 months. Fans are fearing the worst and understandably so, but behind all the exits and outgoings, lies a few reasons why it might not be all doom and gloom at the G-Tech arena.

It’s probably wise to start with why the majority of people are quite pessimistic about Brentford. So far they’ve lost top scorer and best performer from last season in Bryan Mbeumo, they’re leader and club captain in Christian Norgaard and their omnipresent head coach in Thomas Frank, all to the Premier League big boys. Each of these losses are huge and none in particular more devastating than Thomas Frank who’s been synonymous with Brentford’s meteoric rise from the depths of the championship to a regular fixture in the Premier League. So you can see where the uneasiness from Bees’ fans stems from. Three of the most important figures at the club have departed and all leave giant shoes to fill.

But if there’s one team in the Premier League you’d put your money on to adeptly plug these pivotal holes, you could do a lot worse than betting on Brentford. In the past 5-10 years, the Bees’ attacking pipeline has featured the likes of Andre Gray, Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. All of whom, when they left Brentford, were promptly replaced with an even better player for the side. This phenomenon of losing your best players isn’t new to owner Matthew Benham, in fact it’s what makes him one of the best at what he does in England.

Brentford are one of the best, most sustainably run clubs in the country and the hierarchy isn’t stupid. They know their most talented staff will continue to be pinched by clubs bigger and better than them, in fact their whole business strategy is built off selling them when the time and price is right, and then replacing their output for a fraction of the price. I’m sure that they wouldn’t have wanted to lose Frank, Mbeumo and Norgaard all in the same window, but they’ve proved to me time and time again that they can replace their stars without really decreasing the floor of the whole squad, so who am I to doubt them this time round?

The appointment of Keith Andrews as manager instantly raised eyebrows and why wouldn’t it? Brentford replaced their best ever manager with a… set piece coach? It’s a decision that’s the first of it’s kind in English top-flight football and so the media and fans alike were quick to jump on the Bees’ back. Whilst it’s understandable to be confused at what on earth they’re smoking in their private box, when you pause for a moment and consider why Brentford might’ve gone down this route, the strategy becomes a bit clearer.

Brentford were probably aware that Mbeumo, Norgaard and possibly Wissa were all on the way out when Tottenham approached them for Thomas Frank in May. There was about to be a huge summer of turnover at the club, so why add to it with your managerial replacement? We know they spoke to Ange about possibly being Frank’s successor but nothing serious ever materialised. The Australian certainly has a much more impressive CV than Andrews, but Brentford still went for the guy who’s been at the club for 13 months.

And it’s precisely for that reason I think they decided to hire Andrews. He knows the club and more importantly he knows Thomas Frank. He knows his philosophy and the way he liked to set up his side in different scenarios. Instead of getting a manager who’s going to come in with his own ethos and demand his own players, why not get one that’s going to continue and build on Frank’s legacy? It’s all about preserving continuity in a summer riddled with huge personnel changes to the squad. Don’t make anything more difficult than it already is, why not get someone in that the players are already familiar with and who’s likely to have them line-up in a way not too dissimilar to his predecessor. That way you’re not starting completely from scratch after a summer where you’ve already lost so many key personnel.

On paper, I think it makes sense. The crux of it is going to come down to whether or not Andrews has the managerial skills to deal with the inevitable adversity that will eventually come his way and whether he has the man-management skills to get the best out of his players just like Frank did. The chances are he won’t be as good of a coach as Frank but that’s perfectly fine. The point is, everyone at the club must have a good idea of what they’re going to get with the Irishman. What’s a slight drop in quality compared to hiring someone who has a higher ceiling but also has a much lower floor? In 2 years time, Brentford might want to reassess but for the time being, I think it was a good call.

So what can we expect from Andrews’ men? I doubt it will be an iteration of football too dissimilar from Frank’s. The Irish boss has spoken in interviews about how he needs his players to be dynamic and to play with intensity whilst still being structured and organised. The word he continues to emphasise is ‘relentless’ which hints towards a lot of pressing and intent to move the ball quickly when in possession - echoes of Frank’s philosophy. Andrews also spoke intently about how he has a great relationship with the players and wants to play to the strengths of his squad, rather than a fixed ethos. This suggests Brentford will be adaptable and we can expect big individual seasons from certain players who have been patiently waiting in the wings for their moment - this again all sounds like a continuation from the work of Thomas Frank.

Even with the exits of Norgaard and Mbeumo and the potential exit of Wissa, Brentford’s squad is still good enough to be in those mid-table places. Kevin Schade, Mikel Damsgaard, Ethan Pinnock, Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter, Nathan Collins, Kelleher… All players who have more than made a solid impression on the league at certain points. In addition to this, Brentford will be boosted by the returns of full-backs Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey who missed nearly all of the 24/25 campaign and when fully-fit are some of the most consistent players in their position across the league. Add to that the return of centre-forward Igor Thiago, whom many of us have forgot about, and there’s a potential for Mbeumo’s and Wissa’s goal-scoring exploits to be somewhat accounted for. With so many star players leaving, expect guys who have been on the periphery of the starting eleven to establish themselves as important players this season. Fabio Carvalho has all the talent to make a name for himself in this Brentford side and Kevin Schade is my tip for the next player to take the leap and become Brentford’s main-man this year. Also look out for Michael Kayode and Yegor Yarmolyuk who were at the club last year and showed glimpses of players who can go on and become top footballers in this division.

The leadership role left behind by Norgaard will be difficult to replace, but with former Liverpool title-winning captain arriving at the G-Tech, you can be sure that the standards and off-pitch comradery will always be at a high level. Say what you want about his ability on the football field, but Henderson is one of the best players you can have to lead by example and motivate his team every game. It’s a smart move from Brentford.

Brentford’s squad is filled to the brim with talented players, much more so than the promoted sides and outfits such as Wolves and West Ham who many people are predicting the Bees to be battling it out with in the relegation spots. In the 24/25 campaign Brentford placed 8th in expected goals; were 9th for shots on target; 10th for touches in the opposition box and 8th for expected goals against. These are all the hallmarks of a firmly mid-table side and even with the exodus of some of their most important players, it would still take a huge drop for them to slide down to those relegation spots.

If it were any other club but Brentford who went through such a + transitional summer, I would be less positive. But I think they’re so switched on behind the scenes, that although a slight fall-off in quality can be expected, I don’t think it will be drastic enough to make them relegation candidates. Perhaps I’m underrating the job Thomas Frank has done and overrating the talents of Keith Andrews, but I see a team that was built not to rely on individuals, but to be stronger than their collective parts with heaps of individuals who can contribute when needed.

At a time where the gap between the Championship and Premier League is only increasing and other sides have lost key players without having the depth of quality to replace them, it would shock me to see Brentford in those 20th-18th spots come May. But as I said before, it’s impossible to know for sure the fate of the Bees. One thing is for certain though:

They’ll be one of the most interesting teams in the league to watch in the 2025/26 season.

PL preview: Brentford FC - Is it really that bad?

PL preview: A lackluster summer provides a chance for youth to blossom at West Ham