2021/22 Premier League Preview – Brentford

03/08/21 2138

Having sealed promotion via the play-offs, Brentford are back in the English top-flight for the first time in 74 years. But what can they achieve in their comeback campaign?

• Manager: Thomas Frank

• Stadium: Brentford Community Stadium

• Last Season: 3rd (Championship)

Led by Danish head coach Thomas Frank, the Bees will be confident of cementing their place in the Premier League.

With a forward-thinking manager and an excellent recruitment policy, Brentford are likely to surprise a lot of people in the coming year.

• What Happened Last Season?

The Bees missed out on automatic promotion by just four points last term, finishing third in the Championship table with a record of W24-D15-L7.

After seeing off Bournemouth in the play-off semi-finals, they then beat Swansea City 2-0 at Wembley to book their spot in the Premier League.

Brentford were the highest scorers in the second tier last season, thanks largely to the exploits of Ivan Toney, who bagged a whopping 31 goals in 45 league games.

• Players In

• Kristoffer Ajer – Celtic (£14.13m)

• Frank Onyeka – FC Midtjylland (£9.00m)

• Myles Peart-Harris – Chelsea U23 (£1.35m)

Brentford have spent big on Norwegian centre-back Kistoffer Ajer and Nigerian midfielder Frank Onyeka during the off-season, along with 18-year-old Chelsea product Myles Peart-Harris.

Renowned for their shrewd transfers business, don’t be surprised if the Beed add more players to their ranks before the new campaign gets underway.

• Players Out

• Henrik Dalsgaard – FC Midtjylland (Free)

• Emiliano Marcondes – Bournemouth (Free)

• Luke Daniels (Released)

Luke Daniels has been released by the club, with Henrik Dalsgaard and Emiliano Marcondes leaving on free transfers.

• Brentford’s Key Player

Ivan Toney – Who else? The prolific striker has racked up 33 goals and ten assists in 52 appearances across all competitions since joining Brentford last year.

Bryan Mbeumo, David Raya, Sergi Canos and Josh Dasilva are also among Brentford’s standout players, but Toney is undoubtedly the pick of the bunch.

• What Can Brentford Achieve in 2021/22?

Just like Leeds United last season, Brentford have the potential to do really well in their comeback top-flight campaign.

Although they may not be able to emulate Leeds’ ninth-place finish, the Bees could secure a mid-table finish.

If Toney can adapt to the demands of the Premier League, Brentford will stand an excellent chance of avoiding relegation.