Brentford Transfer DealSheet: Jobe Bellingham and Alfie Doughty among targets (2024)

The transfer window does not officially open until June 14 but Brentford fans have spent the last couple of weeks stressing about losing one of the most important figures at the club.

Thomas Frank was a strong contender to replace Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea’s head coach. Talks were held with Frank’s representatives but Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart picked Enzo Maresca instead. Frank has admirers at Manchester United too, but Erik ten Hag has surely strengthened his position by winning the FA Cup.

Keeping Frank might be the best piece of business Brentford pull off this summer but there is other work to do. They suffered from an injury crisis last season which exposed their lack of cover in certain areas of the squad and this needs to be addressed.

There is also the small matter of Ivan Toney’s future…

Get the latest transfer news on The Athletic…

• Transfer news and analysis | Follow David Ornstein
• Join The Athletic Insiders WhatsApp channel

What positions are they looking at this summer?

It is essential they find extra cover at full-back. Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry missed the bulk of last season with long-term injuries which forced Frank to be creative by playing midfielders Saman Ghoddos and Vitaly Janelt at left-back. Sergio Reguilon arrived on loan in January but has returned to Tottenham Hotspur and will not be joining Brentford permanently due to his high wages.

Central midfield is another area they are looking at as they start to work out a succession plan for captain Christian Norgaard who turned 30 in March.

Which players are they looking at?

The Athletic reported last week that Brentford are interested in signing Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland. Bellingham, who turns 19 in September, can play in midfield or up front and this flexibility is attractive. He is an exciting prospect but not somebody who would be expected to break into the starting XI straight away.

Brentford are monitoring Luton Town’s wing-back Alfie Doughty too. The 24-year-old provided eight assists in 37 top-flight appearances. Henry is encouraged to push up high on the left wing and whip crosses into the box so the interest in the attack-minded Doughty makes sense.

What moves have they made already?

Brentford completed their most important piece of business back in February when they signed Igor Thiago from Club Bruges for a club-record fee of €36.5million including add-ons. Thiago scored 18 times in 34 appearances to help Bruges win the Belgian title and will officially join Brentford on a five-year contract in July.

Who will make the key decisions this summer?

Brentford collect data on 85,500 players around the world and closely monitor 5,000. The recruitment department will analyse the squad and look at potential gaps which need to be filled. Technical director Lee Dykes will then discuss their main targets with Frank, director of football Phil Giles and owner Matthew Benham.

Frank’s input is crucial and players will not be signed if he has major doubts about them, but the 50-year-old has less power over the recruitment process than managers at other clubs.

Who will they be looking to sell?

In an ideal world, Brentford would like to keep their talisman Toney but have accepted he wants to leave this summer. The challenge for Giles is to extract the best possible price for a 28-year-old who only has a year left on his contract. Bryan Mbeumo’s comments about wanting “to play in the biggest competitions for the best clubs” will have left everybody feeling nervous, too.

Brentford have a talented crop of young players who are too good for their B team but are not established in the first-team squad yet and have spent time out on loan. This list includes Paris Maghoma, Fin Stevens, Myles Peart-Harris, Ryan Trevitt, Daniel Oyegoke, Matthew Cox and Tristan Crama. A decision needs to be made on whether to keep them and hope they can still fulfil their potential in west London, or if it is time to move on.

Which players’ contracts are expiring? Who is expected to renew?

Brentford announced that Ghoddos, Shandon Baptiste and Charlie Goode will be leaving when their contracts expire, while they have decided not to convert Neal Maupay’s loan from Everton into a permanent deal.

Josh Dasilva, who is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL), and Ben Mee both signed new one-year deals.

What might happen first?

Brentford have been pretty consistent over the last few years at signing their main targets early in the transfer window so they are ready for pre-season. They can then spend the final few weeks of the window waiting for any surprise opportunities to emerge. Expect Giles and Dykes to focus their energy on signing a defender before anything else.

What is their PSR position?

Brentford posted a club-record turnover of £166.5million in their accounts covering the 2022-23 season and their profit before tax is £9.4m. They are in a healthy financial situation which will be boosted by David Raya’s £30m move to Arsenal when it officially becomes permanent after he spent last season on loan with them.

What do they have to do before June 30?

Brentford don’t have to panic because of their healthy finances and this means they are in a good position to capitalise on other teams who need to sell before the deadline.

What sort of budget do they have?

Brentford have broken their transfer record for the last four summers in a row. Splashing out €36.5m on Thiago is a sign of their intent. The core of their squad is strong and it just needs that extra bit of quality in the right places.

If they spot a good opportunity at the right price, they won’t hesitate to pursue it.

What is the manager’s priority?

When Frank spoke to The Athletic the day after their defeat to Newcastle United on the last weekend of the season, he joked that “availability” was the key attribute he was looking for in the transfer window.

According to data compiled by Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries before they faced Newcastle, Brentford’s players were lost to injury for 1,653 days — the sixth-worst record in the top flight. Frank used 12 different centre-back combinations, the fourth highest, to cope with their “abnormal” injury list.

Simply having a fully fit squad next season would keep Frank happy.

(Top photo: Ian Horrocks/Getty Images)

Jay Harris reports on Tottenham Hotspur for The Athletic. He worked for Sky Sports News for four years before he joined The Athletic in 2021 and spent three seasons covering Brentford. He covered the 2022 World Cup from Qatar and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Follow Jay on Twitter @jaydmharris