There is a mixed feeling of uncertainty and excitement looming over the Gtech Community Stadium as Brentford embark on a new era.
It has been the biggest summer of change at the club since 2019, when the signings of David Raya, Ethan Pinnock, Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard, and Bryan Mbeumo propelled the club to its current status.
Now those foundations are crumbling and have required fresh reinforcement as Mbeumo made a club-record £65 million switch to Manchester United while Norgaard joined Arsenal earlier this summer.
Thomas Frank's switch to Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur in June, which ended a six-and-a-half-year tenure as head coach, was a surprise and proved the catalyst for a summer upheaval.
Keith Andrews was the chosen one to take on the challenge of replacing one of the club's most successful and unanimously adored managers as he was promoted from his role as set-piece coach.
His appointment comes with an unpredictability as the 44-year-old takes on his first managerial role, having also been an assistant at Sheffield United**,** Republic of Ireland senior and Under-21s sides, and MK Dons.
Andrews has already faced a stern test in his first two months in charge, losing his captain and last season's top scorer, absentees disrupting pre-season preparations, and dealing with the petulant behaviour of Yoane Wissa, who seeks to force a move out of the club.
As Brentford enter their fifth consecutive top-flight campaign since promotion in 2021, the Bees have a point to prove in a post-Frank era as their Premier League credentials undergo its biggest test.
2024/25 Season Recap
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa propelled Brentford to within touching distance of a first-ever European qualification during the 2024/25 season but had to settle with a 10th-place finish on the final day.
The duo contributed 39 goals between them in the top-flight, a tally surpassing the bottom three's individual totals, in a campaign that saw the Bees experience the extraordinary and the absurd.
From a stoppage-time defeat to Fulham and an FA Cup upset at the hands of Plymouth Argyle to becoming the first team in Premier League history to score within the opening minute in three consecutive games.
It was somewhat fitting that Brentford failed to retain the leads against Manchester City, Tottenham, and West Ham - adding to an established inability to hold onto winning positions from the previous season.
The draw with West Ham in September was the sole blemish on a record that saw the Bees win seven of their opening eight matches at the Gtech Community Stadium - the best home record in Europe's top five leagues.
On the road, Brentford posted one of the worst as they failed to register a single point until their trip to Brighton on December 27, less than a week after their first home defeat of the campaign against Nottingham Forest.
2025 saw a huge shift as Brentford struggled at home, failing to win in west London until April, while simultaneously winning five consecutive away matches for the first time in the club's 126-year history.
Long-awaited stability in the team saw the Bees acquire 23 points out of a possible 30 on the road this year and win four consecutive top-flight matches for the first time since 1939 between April and May.
A 1-1 draw with Wolves on the final day saw their European dreams end as Bournemouth and Brighton beat Leicester and Tottenham, respectively, to finish above the west London side in the table.
Brentford's five-year plan after earning promotion in 2021 was to become an established Premier League club. Four years in, with another top-half finish and a Carabao Cup quarter-final to add, the plan is in good stead.
Transfer Activity
Brentford have had a busy summer in the transfer market, which is expected to continue into the new campaign.
Change has been ongoing since the start of June when the club was quick to replace Mark Flekken, who joined Bayer Leverkusen, with Caoihmin Kelleher from Liverpool for a fee of £12.5 million, rising to £18 million with add-ons.
The 26-year-old's arrival made him the third permanent signing of the summer after Michael Kayode and Romelle Donovan's purchase options were activated following loans from Fiorentina and Birmingham City.
Kelleher was soon joined by former Liverpool team-mate and **Champions League**-winning captain Jordan Henderson, who arrived as a free agent when he mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Ajax in July.
Henderson's addition provides much-needed experience to the squad after Ben Mee was released upon the expiration of his contract and Norgaard switched to the Gunners in a £10 million plus add-ons move.
Antoni Milambo also arrived in west London in July after a long-winded saga concluded with the Feyenoord and Netherlands Under-21 international joining for £16 million plus £4.25 million add-ons.
Three weeks later, the club sold Mbeumo to Man United in what is a record-smashing transfer for the club, with a reported £71 million package far surpassing the £33.6 million received for Ivan Toney in 2024.
Wissa could be the next big-money departure as uncertainty surrounding his future continues as he seeks a move elsewhere, with Brentford said to be holding out for a total fee in the region of £40 million.
This deal will soon be put into motion as various reports suggest that the club has agreed a club-record £37 million fee, potentially rising to £42 million, with Bournemouth for 23-year-old forward Dango Ouattara.
Brentford were part of an illustrious group last season of having three players score ten or more goals in Europe's top five leagues; one comprising respective champions Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona.
The Bees prolific front three of Mbeumo, Wissa, and Kevin Schade contributed 49 of their team's 66 league goals - a tally bettering six team's entire totals, including five more than Man United.
While Wissa and Mbeumo received the plaudits, and rightfully so for their combined 39 top-flight goals, Schade's 11 goals and two assists went under the radar.
It was by far his best tally since arriving at Brentford for a then club-record fee from Freiburg in 2023, in a season he scored a hat-trick against Leicester City as well as four goals in three games at the start of May.
In his two-and-a-half years at the club, Schade has shown an explosive speed and eye-catching athleticism that is difficult to contend with, but a raw technical and finishing ability that requires fine-tuning.
The 23-year-old is an ever-improving threat in the final third, running in behind onto passes, bursting past opponents with the ball, and boasting a leap that is difficult to deal with, particularly at the back post.
In his sole involvement in pre-season, a 45-minute appearance versus Gil Vicente, Schade looked sharp on the left, combining well with team-mates and carrying the ball into threatening areas in a 1-1 draw in Portugal.
His preparations for the new season have been scuppered by a 'knock' sustained in training, one that could see him miss out on the opening day against Nottingham Forest, pending a late fitness test.
Once he's back to full fitness, he has the opportunity to step up out of the aforementioned duo's shadows and proving himself to be a important figure in Andrews' new-look attack.
Strongest XI
Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Hickey; Henderson, Janelt; Carvalho, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago.
Tactics
Keith Andrews' Brentford is an unknown entity of sorts.
A head coach with no point of reference, a squad that has undergone changes and lost key personnel, and a pre-season that has been hampered by injuries and absentees.
In Andrews words: "we want to play winning football, we want to be competitive, we want to have an edge, we want to play dynamic, relentless football but we want to be organised."
In his three matches against Gil Vicente, Queens Park Rangers, and Borussia Monchengladbach, early signs suggest he is building upon the foundations laid by his predecessor.
Continuing the use a 4-2-3-1 formation, Andrews' side have sought to have further control of possession with an emphasis on playing out of defence and through the lines, while sometimes going long.
The two holding midfielders are entrusted with dictating the speed of play in possession while having an important role in prompt regains of possession via interceptions and second balls - something the team did very well.
With the club in the market for a like-for-like Mbeumo replacement, Fabio Carvalho filled the void on the right, which has seen Andrews deploy an inverted winger with the full-back tasked with providing the width.
Against Gil Vicente it worked effectively as Brentford combined well in a 3-2-2-3 set-up in possession, with Damsgaard and Carvalho in the centre while Schade and Kayode operated wide, either side of Igor Thiago.
It produced an eye-catching first goal of Andrews' tenure as Schade broke free down the left, picked out Carvalho inside the area, whose first-time pass set up Damsgaard to assist Thiago at the back post.
Set-pieces will remain a key component in Brentford's game, with the former set-piece coach finding great joy with them in Collins' match-winner versus QPR and Carvalho's equaliser against Gladbach.
While it wasn't seen as much in pre-season given the opposition, the Bees thrive as a transitional team and are expected to continue to do so in spells in the upcoming campaign.
Expectations
Brentford are strongly being tipped to go down this season but the expectation is that the Bees will prove doubters wrong.
At face value, having a head coach that lacks professional managerial experience while selling the club captain, last season's top scorer, and likely a 19-goal centre-forward in the same summer is a recipe for disaster.
But there remains a lot of quality within the squad and it's being lead by a man well-respected within the club, has the backing of the board, and is taking on the challenge in his stride with full confidence.
Brentford have added Henderson, a Premier League and Champions League-winning captain, alongside Kelleher and Milambo, players that thrived in the Champions League last season, to their list of players of European quality.
Defensive foundations remain intact, with new captain Nathan Collins forming a strong centre-back partnership with Sepp van den Berg, with full-backs Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry returning after long-term injuries.
Mikkel Damsgaard and Schade will build upon a much-improved 2024/25 alongside Carvalho and Thiago, who are set for starring roles after injury-hit first seasons after a big-money move in 2024.
Investment in squad depth is a necessity before the transfer window closes, particularly if the club also wants to improve on a Carabao Cup quarter-final and a shock exit in the FA Cup third round.
A third top-half finish in five years is not to be expected given the summer upheaval, but it would be naïve to assume Brentford will roll over and succumb to relegation this season.