Leeds United will be keeping a close eye on the business conducted by their rivals for next season, and the side many are expecting to face a significant drop-off is Keith Andrews’ Brentford.
The landscape of the Premier League has shifted dramatically since United were last in the division, with the 17 same sides staying up for three consecutive seasons as newly-promoted clubs continue to struggle.
Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley therefore will be hoping this season marks a shift in that dynamic, looking for clubs that see their lofty standards dip – and many are pointing to Brentford.
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Why are Brentford earmarked for a relegation scrap after finishing 10th last season?
If you were just going off last season’s performances, no one in their right mind would even consider Brentford for the relegation battle, as they’ve been largely comfortable ever since promotion in 2021.
The issue is that the standout candidates contributing to their progress into a 10th-place finish won’t be here this season.
Thomas Frank has left for Spurs, taking most of his coaching staff with him, while Bryan Mbeumo has joined Manchester United, and it seems a matter of time before Yoane Wissa gets his wish of a transfer after refusing to be involved in their pre-season for weeks.
(Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo)
Having the unenviable task of replacing Frank in the dugout is Keith Andrews, a man with no experience as head coach, having moved around various assistant roles at MK Dons, the Republic of Ireland setup, and Sheffield United, before landing a role as set-piece coach with the Bees.
Speculation linked him with a return to MK Dons earlier this year, but now he’s taking up an eyebrow-raising role in the Premier League with Brentford.
Leeds United’s rivals spend big on Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara
The Bees are in dire need of replacing the attacking output that Mbeumo and Wissa showed last season , their combined 39 goals scored accounting for 59% of the entire team’s goals scored.
Leeds’ likely rivals are close to replacing one of their star forwards with an intriguing inter-league deal with Bournemouth.
Andrews’ side are set to bring in Cherries’ versatile forward Dango Ouattara, with his price tag catching the eye online at a staggering £42million:
Ouattara looked a solid player for the Cherries last season with seven goals in the Premier League, but in his two-and-a-half seasons at the Vitality Stadium, has only netted a total of nine goals, three of them coming in the same game last season against Nottingham Forest.
Should United, Sunderland or Burnley aim to drag the Bees into a relegation dogfight in the coming months, Ouattara signing on a club-record fee may not help their cause in remaining at the same level as last season.
While Leeds look to be moving somewhat slower than their league rivals to secure important attacking signings, this deal may be the latest proof of the market United are working in, with price tags extraordinarily high in some instances.
The task for Adam Underwood and co is finding players of notable improvement to the current crop, while not having to pay the prices referenced above.
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