There were ups and downs along the way, but finishing 13th was an overwhelming success for Brentford in their first ever Premier League season. It’s now the difficult second album for the Bees.
Despite their best efforts, the club were unable to keep hold of Christian Eriksen after he provided a boost in the second half of 2021-22.
No Brentford players are among the contenders in Premier League Player of the Year odds, and there are fair questions to be asked if this squad has the necessary talent and depth to replicate that mid-table finish.
Just behind the three newly promoted clubs, Brentford are one of the sports betting favourites for relegation.
Window So Far
Brentford have gone typically out the box with their signings.
"We created six big chances so I'm very pleased with the offensive part of it"
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 19, 2022
Thomas Frank on today's finale to our German Training Camp#BeesInGermany 🇩🇪 #BRERSCA pic.twitter.com/8XH4fY47gM
The Bees splashed over £17 million on 21-year-old winger Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull, and almost £15 million went to Bologna for 20-year-old left-back Aaron Hickey.
The shrewd business continued by acquiring highly regarded goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha from Lazio on a free.
Youth Moves
A club which embraces analytics like few others, Brentford have clearly seen something in Lewis-Potter and Hickey.
Their recruitment is second to none, and these are the kind of transfers which have allowed them to keep progressing even when selling on key players like Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins in recent years.
After being the biggest overachievers in Premier League predictions in 2021-22, it would be easy to assume this Brentford team has peaked. That isn’t necessarily the case.
How Can Brentford Improve?
Pontus Jansson is the only member of the Brentford squad in his thirties, and the Swede was solid throughout last term, clocking 37 Premier League starts.
Only the top six, Brighton and Crystal Palace had a better expected goal difference than the Bees in 2021-22.
There is a foundation to, at the very least, maintain their Premier League status in 2022-23, and potentially push on further.
Alongside their new signings, Brentford can expect further development from Kristoffer Ajer, Bryan Mbuemo and Vitaly Janelt. This is a team trending in the right direction, with natural improvement projected across the squad.
Brentford Prediction for 2022/23:
Still, their fate in the coming season is very dependent on Ivan Toney maintaining his form from the prior campaign.
Toney, a popular preseason FPL pick, scored 12 goals and notched five assists in 2021-22. Only two players outside the top six scored more.
The transfer window hasn’t been flashy compared to some of their mid-table peers, and there were some worrying slumps in their debut Premier League campaign. There’s still plenty to be confident about with this Brentford side, however.
Frank is a good manager. Toney is a proven goal scorer. The defence impressed after promotion.
Avoiding the dreaded demise in their second season would be deemed a success for Brentford. They are well-equipped to do that. Continuity can be valuable, and we like their chances to land another cosy mid-table finish.
Brentford Premier League prediction: 13th
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
