Worrying Brentford relegation fear as Leeds United and Sunderland land £100m transfer blows
Brentford have established themselves as a Premier League regular, but is this the season they should be worried?
Last season Brentford threatened for a long period to scrape into the European places only to run out of steam and only just miss out.
With every season, the clubs in and around the middle of the table get stronger and 2025/26 won’t be any different with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur unlikely to be anywhere near as bad again. This only makes it harder for those, like the Bees, who have to battle for every point.
Last season Yoane Wissa was outstanding on his way to 19 goals and five assists. Wissa has caught the eye of Newcastle United who continue to be linked with a host of strikers and yet seem incapable of getting any of them over the line. Brentford should play hardball if Eddie Howe’s recruitment team picks up the phone.
Problems begin to mount up for Brentford and Keith Andrews
Man Utd’s new £71m signing Bryan Mbeumo will be a big miss with 20 goals and eight assists in the Premier League. When you consider that Brentford scored 66 goals and the Wissa/Mbeumo pairing contributed to 52 between them. It is easy to see why their departures might be a problem for new manager Keith Andrews.
To make matters worse, two of the teams who have been promoted aren’t messing about. Sunderland and Leeds United both have ambitious owners who are serious about establishing their team as Premier League mainstays. They are both one club cities and have loyal fan bases who have continued to fill out their respective home grounds even during the darkest days. They have the support and the owners to stay up.
Leeds have taken a different approach to their recruitment to what they have done before. Instead of young, promising talent, almost every one of the five permanent signings that they have made so far have been either 26 or 27 and all – apart from the 5ft 11inch tall Sean Longstaff – are over 6ft tall too. Add this to the fact that all of them are either an experienced international or have captained their club and it is easy to see what Leeds’ plan is for season one back in the top flight. Stability first.
How much have Sunderland spent compared to Brentford?
Sunderland’s approach has been slightly different in that they have still targeted a younger player, however, they have spent over £100m on six players and have shopped in the Premier League, Ligue 1, Serie A and La Liga at teams like Atletico Madrid, Roma and Brighton.
Money doesn’t always equate to success, but Brentford have spent a rather modest £46m, give or take, with three of the players who are arriving being 20 or younger and only Jordan Henderson and Caoimhin Kelleher being established and experienced campaigners. Andrews could contain his excitement when he first took charge of Brentford given the squad that he had inherited, although things could change quickly if Wissa is allowed to leave.
Under Thomas Frank, Brentford were always well-structured, balanced and could compete with anyone whilst they looked up the table, now, given how the summer has gone so far for them and those around them, they should be looking over their shoulder