Brentford went a little under the radar last season but they are going to struggle to match those achievements this time around. As we head into the new campaign, there are weaknesses in the squad that are yet to be addressed.
How the team did last season
The Bees claimed ninth place in the Premier League and were just three points off of sixth-placed Brighton.
It was an improvement on their 2021/22 showing, their debut campaign in the Premier League. They finished 13th and many wondered whether they’d be found out during their second season in the English top-flight. Thomas Frank’s men rather emphatically put to bed any doubts over their ability to compete in this league and they showed that their mid-table finish was no fluke.
Brentford did the double over champions Manchester City. They also beat Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Chelsea while claiming a draw against Arsenal.
Ivan Toney really took his game to new heights last term, finishing the season with 20 Premier League goals. It is no surprise to learn he was the highest-rated Brentford player with a season average of 7.39 on FotMob.
No other player for the Bees managed to net double figures in the Premier League. Bryan Mbeumo did finish with nine to his name but only one other player (Yoane Wisa) scored more than five.
In fact, only 10 players in total scored in the Premier League for Brentford last season and Toney was responsible for 34% of their goals haul. As a team, they were pretty reliant on the 27-year-old. With him not available, the Bees are without their stinger heading into the new campaign.
What has happened during the summer?
In truth, not a lot.
The expectation was that Brentford would delve into the transfer market to bring in someone to replace Toney in their starting XI but that is yet to happen.
The Bees turned Kevin Schade’s loan move into a permanent one, paying a then-record fee to sign him from SC Freiburg. He has a lot of potential but is he the man to replace Toney’s goals right now? Unlikely.
They then broke their club record to sign Nathan Collins from Wolves. Brentford paid £23million for the 22-year-old 6ft4 centre-back. The potential is there for him to form a colossal defensive pairing with 6ft6 Kristoffer Ajer.
Despite being linked with Caoimhin Kelleher, Brentford opted to instead sign Freiburg shot-stopper Mark Flekken. He is expected to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper this season with David Raya looking to leave Brentford. At the time of writing, Arsenal are keen on the impressive Spaniard.
What they should be aiming for next season?
In normal circumstances, a team like Brentford would be looking to kick on and challenge for a Europa Conference League spot after two solid seasons in the Premier League. But these aren’t normal circumstances.
The Bees have lost their main goal threat for the first half of the season and Raya, one of their most reliable and consistent players, is set to leave. On paper, they are going to be weaker and a lot of teams around them are going to be stronger.
Prediction
13th.
(Images from IMAGO)
Think you know better than our Premier League expert? Then play the FotMob Predictor Game and decide where your team will finish this season! Find the game in the More tab of the FotMob app, which you can download, for free, right here.