Premier League 2026-27 preview No 4: Brentford

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 8th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 9th

Prospects

If the upward trajectory of the Brentford project continued last season, with Keith Andrews proving a capable replacement for Thomas Frank, it ended with disappointment. On the final day, there was a chance of European football for this season, only for a draw at Anfield to deny the club the opportunity to capitalise on Brighton’s loss to Manchester United, an inferior goal difference meaning they finished ninth rather than eighth. A win would have secured a place in the Europa League. Dango Ouattara’s late headed miss will have been relived many times over the summer.

Perhaps the lack of European football may prove a blessing. Smaller clubs being stretched by a heavier schedule is a story often told, both in physical and financial terms, but the continental football dream will not be far from minds if Brentford’s progress sustains. The loss of Jordan Henderson to Chelsea’s new senior citizens’ collective will be felt more in terms of his leadership qualities than his playing influence; he started 22 matches last season in a midfield where a more youthful energy was preferred.

Can Igor Thiago replicate last season? He did enough to win a World Cup selection for Brazil, but hit flat spots even while making such an impression; he scored once in his team’s final six matches, just when they might have needed him most. He will be supported this season by the experience of Callum Wilson, signed as a free agent, while Jaidon Anthony has joined the forward line from Burnley.

Continuity remains a key tenet, building on the foundations laid by the owner, Matthew Benham, and the long-serving sporting director, Phil Giles, that made and sustained Brentford as a top-division club. Each season of the club’s five in the Premier League has seen peaks and troughs ridden out and further progress made. That has to be the coming season’s expectation.

Off-field picture

The published accounts for 2024-25, Frank’s last in charge, showed a £21m loss that was significant, but relatively small potatoes compared to Premier League peers. The sales of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa eased finances last summer, but extra revenue streams are being sought. A public consultation is being carried out in view of hosting six live music events at the Gtech. The stadium is built in a residential area, apartment blocks towering over the stands. A sleeve sponsorship deal was renewed with Cazoo, the west London automobile e-commerce dealership. Indeed, the job website, has replaced the previous, South African betting company that adorned the shirts as the main sponsor.

Owner-fan relationship

Just like his former associate Tony Bloom at Brighton, Benham has provided the analytical expertise and the finance to sustain Brentford’s development. For that, fans who grew up as supporters of one of the capital’s smallest clubs, and those who have been attracted more recently, will be for ever grateful. After last year’s arrival of Gary Lubner and Sir Matthew Vaughn as minority shareholders, Prakash Melwani, investment banker, and Sir Lucian Grainge, music mogul, took similar slices of the pie. A formerly parochial club, one still close to its grassroots support, is now helmed by big-hitters from the business world.

The manager

Andrews showed he is far more than the set-piece specialist he was previously employed as. For the difficult second album, he will be aware that opposing managers and their scouts will be better prepared. An adept media performer, he has explained the relative lack of business with typical calm. “We won’t sign players unless we feel they’ll fit into the fabric of the club and the culture and values that we have as a group of people working together on a daily basis,” he said from a pre-season training camp in Portugal. Having confounded doubts as the rookie manager who ended last season with claims on end-of-season awards he now has to prove it was not beginners’ luck.

Star signing

When Lens went close to denying Paris Saint-Germain the Ligue 1 title last season, Mamadou Sangaré was at the heart of their midfield. He was named in the division’s team of the season. Brentford’s midfield has lost Henderson and Christian Nørgaard over the last two summers, though Sangaré will offer different strengths. Opta stats from last season showed only Elliot Anderson and Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios averaged more possession regains in Europe’s top five leagues. Brentford are at their best and most effective when pressing hard and high and Sangaré appears ideal. “He adds qualities that we don’t have,” said Andrews of the club-record £35m signing.

Stat attack

Brentford scored 10 set-play goals last season – it was their joint-fewest in a Premier League campaign and only three teams in the division had a worse record. Yet no club in the division was more reliant upon free-kicks, corners and throw-ins to generate shots. They either need to be more productive in open play or more efficient with their set pieces. Both wouldn’t go amiss.

Set for a breakthrough

To follow Thiago’s successful signing from Belgium, Kaye Furo was bought from Club Brugge in January. Making his debut as Macclesfield were negotiated in the FA Cup in February, he made one Premier League appearance, in May against West Ham. As has been customary at Brentford for new additions, he may have to wait for his turn, particularly with those experienced additions to the forward line. Brentford’s first-mover advantage via analytics and scouting remains widely admired and has delivered more hits than misses to help finance further dealings. Kaye is the son of Furo Iyenemi, who captained Nigeria at the 2000 Olympics.

World Cup impact

The now-departed Henderson played a patrician role within the England squad. Kristoffer Ajer, whose Norway team were beaten in the quarter-finals by England, travelled furthest in the tournament of those who remain. Ajer’s header hit the crossbar in those frantic final moments in Atlanta. To get there, Norway pulled off an historic victory over Brazil, where Thiago was an unused substitute, having made his single, ineffective appearance in the opening 1-1 draw with Morocco. Aaron Hickey’s participation was just as brief, confined to Scotland’s grinding opening win over Haiti before succumbing to injury, unable to contribute as the campaign lurched into familiar disappointment.

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.