The day Brentford long feared finally arrived last week, with Thomas Frank leaving for Tottenham after seven stellar years in charge.
Brentford’s succession planning has been near immaculate during a golden age in their history. Neal Maupay left, Ollie Watkins joined; Watkins left, Ivan Toney joined; Toney left, Yoane Wissa moved centrally. Adapt and evolve, on repeat.
It was Brentford’s foresight that brought Frank to England in the first place, with the Dane spending his first 22 months at the club shadowing Dean Smith, before succeeding him in the top job.
But replacing Frank will be a bigger challenge for the Bees than any of the big-name players that left under his watch.
Ahead of a pivotal summer in west London, The i Paper looks at why Brentford can flourish without their key figurehead…
Targets lined up in advance
It’s safe to assume Brentford are as proactive when it comes to assessing potential future managers as they are players, given the interest in Frank down the years. Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United are among those to have taken a look before Spurs took the plunge.
Set-piece coach Keith Andrews has emerged as a possible successor in a move that would bear hallmarks to Frank’s promotion in 2018.
Andrews spent a decade learning his craft – at MK Dons, the Republic of Ireland and Sheffield United – before joining Brentford last summer.
The 44-year-old earned credit last season for his work on kick-offs, effectively turning them into a goalscoring weapon. Brentford became the first club in Premier League history to score in the first minute in three successive games, with every goal coming from their own kick-off.
Kieran McKenna is also under consideration following Ipswich Town’s relegation.
The Northern Irishman signed a new deal at Portman Road last summer amid links to Chelsea and Manchester United, but his reputation has dipped following the Tractor Boys’ difficult single-season stay in the Premier League.
An 85,000-player database
The transfer market is an area Brentford have excelled in.
Technical director Lee Dykes outlined “seven stages of recruitment” that go into any player purchase during a comprehensive in-house interview in December 2023.
Brentford undergo an exhaustive filtration process when identifying targets, starting from an encyclopaedic database of over 85,000 players.
They scout for 16 different positions, collating four targets for each from around the world, before forensically whittling shortlists down.
Since 2019, Brentford have sold seven players for eight-figure fees. Those players were bought from Saint-Etienne, Charlton Athletic, Exeter City, Nice, Blackburn Rovers, Peterborough United and Freiburg.
Bryan Mbeumo, who joined from Troyes in the French second tier in 2019, is likely to become the latest big-money sale, with Manchester United and Tottenham the frontrunners.
Brentford also work “three or four windows in advance” when identifying potential signings, according to Dykes.
That groundwork was evident earlier this month when they signed Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool on the same day that Mark Flekken was sold to Bayer Leverkusen.
Prioritising youth
Brentford prioritise signing younger players to get to them before bigger clubs do.
Dykes admitted the plan is to buy players “as young as possible if they have got top Premier League potential”.
Since promotion in 2021, Brentford have signed 23 players permanently. Of those, 16 were aged 23 or under.
Brentford’s permanent signings since promotion
*Age at time of arrival in brackets
2021-22:
- Kristoffer Ajer (23)
- Frank Onyeka (23)
- Yoane Wissa (24)
- Myles Peart-Harris (18)
- Zanka Jorgensen (31)
- Christian Eriksen (29)
2022-23:
- Keane Lewis-Potter (21)
- Mikkel Damsgaard (22)
- Aaron Hickey (20)
- Kevin Schade (21)
- Ben Mee (32)
- Thomas Strakosha (27)
2023-24:
- Nathan Collins (22)
- Mark Flekken (29)
- Yunus Emre Konak (18)
- Hakon Valdimarsson (22)
2024-25:
- Igor Thiago (23)
- Sepp van den Berg (22)
- Fabio Carvalho (21)
- Gustavo Nunes (18)
- Jayden Maghoma (18)
- Michael Kayode (20)
2025-26:
- Caoimhin Kelleher (26)
Furthermore, Brentford only paid fees for three of the remaining seven: Flekken (29 at the time of arrival) and Kelleher (26), plus Wissa (24). The others, including Christian Eriksen and Ben Mee, were free agents.
Brentford are an attractive proposition for young talent given the success of their conveyor belt. They can offer Premier League football, top facilities and afford more patience than bigger clubs.
Mikkel Damsgaard (24) was named Brentford’s Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Year – some feat given Mbeumo and Wissa’s contributions – after starring in his third season after two difficult ones.
Kevin Schade (23) scored just twice in his first 42 games, but has managed 12 in his last 32.
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They develop players brilliantly too. If the Premier League had a Most Improved Player award, Nathan Collins (24) would have been a leading contender to win it last season.
Yehor Yarmolyuk (21) is overlooked away from the Gtech, while Michael Kayode (21) is poised for a big breakthrough campaign after excelling in the final few weeks.
Verdict
Losing Frank and his highly-rated assistant Justin Cochrane to Spurs, and probably Mbeumo, present big but not insurmountable challenges to Brentford.
They will recruit a new manager from a position of strength after finishing 10th, their second-highest placing ever. They had the Premier League’s fifth-youngest squad and possess a nucleus of exciting talent. They are a draw to ambitious players and coaches alike.
The Bees have continued to fly after their hive has been depleted before. Don’t count against them doing so again.
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