Currently set piece coach with the Bees, the ex-Ireland international is hotly tipped to step into the role vacated by Thomas Frank after he left for Tottenham.
Andrews joined Bolton after they were relegated from the Premier League in 2012, signing on a free transfer from West Brom. But his time with the Whites rarely ran smoothly, and after the departure of Owen Coyle he struggled to gain regular football under Dougie Freedman and was eventually loaned out over the next two seasons to Brighton, Watford and MK Dons.
Speaking in 2013 before his first stint on loan at Brighton, Andrews had said he felt let down by how he had been treated.
“Nobody really had the decency to even phone me as I was leaving. I think I deserve a little bit more respect than that, I suppose,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.
“I always felt I’d done things well at that club, been very professional and treated people like I like to be treated.
“To end on that note was a bit sour but you can’t be surprised by anything in football.”
He played just 29 times in total for Wanderers, scoring four goals, and eventually moved into coaching with the Dons, alongside work as an EFL pundit for Sky Sports.
Since then he has worked with Ireland and at club level with Sheffield United under Chris Wilder before joining Frank’s backroom staff at Brentford in 2024.
Andrews has seen his reputation blossom over the last 12 months, thanks largely to the club’s success with set pieces, which kept him in contention for a European spot for much of last season in the Premier League.
As such, Andrews was considered for the MK Dons job before it was given to Paul Warne in April and he is now expected to be joined by ex-international team-mate Damien Duff, who has just stepped down from a job at Shelbourne.
Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna had been the bookies’ favourite to get the Brentford job for several weeks but talks are now reported to be at an ‘advanced stage’ at the GTech Community Stadium.
The Bees have frequently appointed from within, and the 44-year-old Andrews could now be handed his big chance in the Premier League, with an opening day fixture at Nottingham Forest on August 16.