Brentford

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Brentford lost 3-1 on the road at Nottingham Forest in their opening Premier League fixture and manager Keith Andrews believes his team need to get back to 'basics'.

"It was always going to be difficult but we made it harder for ourselves," Andrews told BBC Match of the Day.

"We knew their strengths and we knew the problems they would cause. Set pieces were always going to be a threat. I felt our structure was lacking. We didn't perform in the first half.

"Get back to basics. Basics in the game is a dirty word at times. You have to have an edge and do the ugly side of the game and compete as a team. I didn't think we did that. I saw it a lot in the first half today and it's something we need to address. The second half was a lot better on a lot of fronts.

"The second half performance had a lot of character. [Igor] Thiago, it was good for him to get off the mark."

On transfers and new players: "The club is always looking for what they need. You've seen today there are some players getting up to speed and they haven't had a fluid pre-season. I'm really happy with who we've signed so far."

On Yoane Wissa's future, speaking to Sky Sports, he added: "It is what it is. it's an ongoing issue. Ideally Wissa would have been available today and unless anything has happened in the last few hours then it's the same things. Hopefully it can resolve itself sooner rather than later.

"We're always looking and there's a clear plan at the club if a player leaves then we'll look."

Image source, Getty Images

• Brentford suffered their first ever matchday one defeat in the Premier League (P5 W2 D2 L1), and conceded three+ goals in their season opener at any level for the first time since 2004-05 at Chesterfield in League One (3-1).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Nottingham Forest's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Dan Ndoye, Nottingham Forest's new £36 million winger signed from Bologna this summer, starts for Nuno's side at City Ground today.

New Brazilian arrivals Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha are on the bench, while Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee - announced by the club as new signings yesterday night - are not involved.

Morgan Gibbs-White, who signed a new three-year deal after being heavily linked with a move, captains Forest.

Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Ndoye, Sangare, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Gibbs-White, Wood

Subs: Gunn, Morato, Awoniyi, Igor Jesus, Jota Silva, Yates, Jair, Boly, Abbott

Yoann Wissa, linked with a move to Newcastle this month, is not in Brentford's matchday squad at all.

New signings Caoimhin Keller, Michael Kayode and Antoni Milambo all start for the Bees, while Jordan Henderson is on the bench.

This is Keith Andrew's first match as manager, 12 years after his last Premier League appearance as a player for West Brom against Arsenal.

Brentford XI: Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Henry; Lewis-Potter, Jensen, Yarmoluik, Carvalho; Milambo; Thiago

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henderson, Schade, Onyeka, Ajer, Peart-Harris, Roerslev, Arthur

Three matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Chelsea v Crystal Palace - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Nottingham Forest v Brentford - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Manchester United v Arsenal (16:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the 14:00 games here

And get Man Utd v Arsenal here

People are writing both of these teams off for different reasons and saying they won't be as good as last season.

As well as seeing their manager go to Spurs, Brentford have lost Bryan Mbeumo - and Yoane Wissa seems to want out too - so the worry with them is who will get their goals?

I still think the Bees have enough battle-hardened Premier League players to compete, but maybe Kevin Schade needs a bit of help up top.

It is also going to be difficult for Nottingham Forest to go again and be as good as they were last year. They have sold Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood turns 34 years old in December, but at least they kept hold of Morgan Gibbs-White.

I think this will be a very tight and quite scruffy game but as long as Forest win it, they won't care.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford ended only three places below Nottingham Forest last season but they face a difficult task at the City Ground on Sunday after losing key personnel over the summer.

The west London side will be without both of last season's joint top scorers for their opening game, with Bryan Mbeumo sold to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa not currently considered for selection amidst interest from Newcastle.

Former captain Christian Norgaard has also departed to Arsenal, while goalkeeper Mark Flekken has joined Bayer Leverkusen.

That would be a testing scenario for most experienced Premier League managers, but the Bees will have rookie Keith Andrews in charge. Thomas Frank's successful seven-year reign ended in June when he moved to Tottenham and the Dane could prove a tough act to follow.

This will be Andrews' first managerial role, though he does have experience working as an assistant and served as the Bees' set-piece coach last season.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 44-year-old will become only the seventh permanent Premier League manager from the Republic of Ireland, as classified by Opta, and the first since Chris Hughton left Brighton in 2019.

Last season's seventh-place finish earned Forest European qualification for the first time in 30 years, while their tally of 19 Premier League wins was one more than their combined tally in the previous two years.

The end of the campaign was tinged by disappointment, with defeat by Chelsea on the final day ending hopes of Champions League qualification, but there is nonetheless plenty of reason for optimism going into their first game.

Forest are the beneficiaries of Crystal Palace's demotion to the Conference League for breaching multi-club ownership rules. As a result they have been elevated to the Europa League and won't face a two-legged qualifying play-off later this month.

The Reds have also been buoyed by the decision of captain Morgan Gibbs-White to sign a new three-year contract, despite appearing on the verge of joining Tottenham only a few days earlier.

They have lost winger Anthony Elanga to Newcastle but Switzerland international Dan Ndoye has arrived from Bologna as a replacement, while Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus have been recruited from Brazil.

The club have also agreed fees for Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson and Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, both of whom impressed as England won this summer's European Under-21 Championship.

Forest used just 23 players in last season's Premier League, fewer than any other side, but need increased squad depth to cope with European football.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's TV and radio commentators were asked to pick 21 players who will be worth watching out for in the next few months. While he isn't a player, a manager made the cut, too.

Keith Andrews

Conor McNamara: Obviously, no longer a player, but I would still put Keith in the 'wildcard' category.

Sure, his appointment has raised plenty of eyebrows, but I have worked regularly with him as a co-commentator in the past for Irish TV.

His enthusiasm and way with words really impresses me. Because I know him from work, in recent seasons my eye would be drawn towards him before games when Sheffield United or Brentford were warming up, and, although an assistant at the time, he always seemed to be at the heart of everything and constantly communicating with the players.

The owners at Brentford have earned a reputation for making good decisions, and they will not have made this one rashly. They have seen him up close and will have heard the feedback of a squad who enjoy his methods.

So many high-profile managers have crashed out in their first Premier League job, so it certainly is not easy. But I'll be hoping that Andrews gets off to a really good start.

Read the full piece here

We asked for your views on Brentford agreeing a record deal of up to £42.5m for Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara.

Do you think the Burkina Faso international will improve Keith Andrews' team or are the Bees being overcharged?

Here are some of your comments:

George: A great acquisition, as always, from Brentford. A skilful and rapid carrier of the ball who knows how to cross into the box, which will pair well with Schade's great heading ability and Thiago's hold-up play.

Ben: Quite an elegant solution to our problems. It looks like he would be more of a Mbeumo replacement, but the fact he can play through the middle also means that he can provide cover for losing Wissa. He seems to be an adaptable player that we will be able to develop in either role. The fee is excessive but that is what you pay for young players who are Premier League proven these days, I suppose.

Kevin: Nine goals, you're having a laugh! Bournemouth are laughing all the way to the bank.

Nick: If you strip it all back, the recruitment team are looking at a very small pool of players. They need someone of the right age who has Premier League experience and has a proven track record of goals. They don't come cheap and Ouattara ticks a lot of those boxes.

Gary: A great purchase and a great replacement for Wissa. He can now go to Newcastle for around the same money, while we get a player who is proven and has a great future.

Jake: His expected goals and assists per 90 minutes is high. You have to trust the club here. His flexibility across the frontline is great. Looking at the club's past business, it is hard to question the move without insider knowledge.

We have looked into the age profile of Brentford's players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.

The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.

Bournemouth had four players over 30 last season but have parted ways with three of those, including captain Christian Norgaard and goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Ethan Pinnock and new signing Jordan Henderson are now the only veterans in Keith Andrews squad.

The graphic shows the vast majority of the Bees squad are between 24 and 30 years old and were the core squad members last season in terms of most minutes played.

The Bees have, however, brought in two players this summer aged under 24, and Andrews has already noted the impact Henderson is having on the younger members of the squad.

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford have agreed a record deal worth up to £42.5m for Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara.

The Burkina Faso international scored nine goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries last season.

It remains unclear whether Ouattara's arrival will pave the way for striker Yoane Wissa to leave the Bees.

Will he be a good addition after losing Bryan Mbeumo?

And how do you feel about the price tag?

Get in touch here

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest at City Ground (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On whether Yoane Wissa will be available: "I have made a decision he is not. It has been a very disrupted pre-season, and the interest in Yoane is very clear. I want Yoane to be in the building and be a part of the first team and the squad but I am very understanding of his situation, I have a very good relationship with him and that will persist. But we have to focus on the players that are ready and I don't think Yoane is in that space."

• Asked on whether Wissa has been training away from the first team, Andrews said: "What happens in the training ground will remain in the training ground."

• On the future for Wissa: "It's very hard to know. I would like Wissa to be part of the first team squad. Where that will end, I'm not sure."

• On the exit of last season's leading scorer Bryan Mbeumo: "Bryan is a success story for this club, considering where he has started and the numbers he has gone for. That replicates what we would like to see in the future.

• On how the club is "continuing to look to grow" despite a number of high profile departures this summer.

• He is happy with the summer recruitment, praising the signing of Jordan Henderson as replacement for last season's captain Christian Norgaard and new goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

• He said his new players have integrated very well during pre-season.

• On the shape of the squad: "Very good, especially the defensive options. Two centre-halves in Sepp van den Berg and Nathan Collins, who are one more year into their development. Full-back positions, we didn't have Aaron Hickey, and Rico Henry available for large periods of time, so they feel like new signings, and Henderson has been amazing with the influence he is having, especially on our younger players. At the top end, two that spring to mind are Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho, who are so talented and primed."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has offered up his annual predictions:

16) Brentford

Last season: 10th

For the first time in a long time, I genuinely fear for Brentford, who have been a superb Premier League presence with Thomas Frank - now departed for Spurs - at the helm.

I seriously believe their season could go to the wire, with new manager Keith Andrews untested at Premier League level, and with key departures such as main striker Bryan Mbuemo to Manchester United and vastly underrated midfielder Christian Norgaard to Arsenal, with gifted forward Yoane Wissa clearly casting longing glances towards Newcastle United.

They have, however, signed a proven high-class goalkeeper in Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool, while 35-year-old England midfielder Jordan Henderson will provide leadership, vast experience and an example.

The big question is whether Henderson can still cut it in the Premier League at this late stage of his career.

Andrews also believes 20-year-old Antoni Milambo can have influence in midfield after being brought in from Feyenoord.

Read the full piece

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup has been made.

The EFL Cup remains regionalised in the early rounds, with the draw split into Northern and Southern sections until round three.

Here are the ties involving Premier League clubs:

Northern section

Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United

Burnley v Derby County

Everton v Mansfield Town

Grimsby Town v Manchester United

Sunderland v Huddersfield Town

Southern section

Bournemouth v Brentford

Fulham v Bristol City

Oxford United v Brighton

Wolves v West Ham United

The 23 second-round ties will take place during the week beginning 25 August.

See the full draw over here

Have you got a question about Brentford or is there a topic you want more information on? Have you spotted a Bees theme or trend that needs further investigation?

Well, this season we're making it easier for you to get in touch and ask - and we will do our best to use our expertise here at BBC Sport to give you direct answers.

Our team can call upon a network of contacts - including our reporters, pundits and other experts - to find out everything you need to know.

No question is too big or too small, so fire away using the link below and we will answer the best of them throughout the campaign.

Ask about Brentford here

And find out more about BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything service here

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

After the many key departures this summer, a lot of pre-season predictions will inevitably tip us for relegation.

But I think they are wrong.

Of course it was a massive blow to lose Thomas Frank, captain Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo, who was the only one expected to leave, while Yoane Wissa's absence has been disappointing.

My main hope for the campaign is that Keith Andrews' appointment as head coach proves to be a masterstroke and leaves the pundits feeling embarrassed.

As I said in my last column, nobody can know whether Andrews, a head coach for the first time, will prove to be good at his new job - only time will tell. However, the stats show that last term he was an excellent set piece coach - another role he had never done before.

While I doubt we will match last season's top-half finish, we have enough about us and enough good players to end up well clear of any trouble. In the circumstances, that would be an achievement.

My fear for the season though is that we may struggle to score goals and that could cost us some points.

Mbeumo and Wissa scored 39 between them last season and, while Kevin Schade will hopefully find the net as regularly as he did at times in 2024-25, it could take Igor Thiago, in effectively his first full campaign with us, a while to adjust and get up and running.

This and any potential glut of injuries could see us looking over our shoulders occasionally.

The defence, though, is stronger than last season with no departures and the full return of Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry, which is like having two new signings at the back.

That solidity should see us through safely.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

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Brentford fan Daniel Topping from The Ealing Road Podcast says he remains excited for the new season despite there being some external worry around the Bees' summer activity.

On paper, losing your manager, captain and star player is a reason to panic, but Topping believes you "have to trust the club" and "the process".

"It is clearly a big job for Keith Andrews," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "We have never finished a Premier League weekend in the relegation zone over the past four years so it is important we start well this season.

"Andrews doesn't have the credit in the bank like other bigger-named managers might have done if they had come in, but I trust the club. I have to trust the process.

"The thing about Brentford, and what other coaches might start to see now, is that if you are a young coach at the top level, and want to progress, then Brentford is a good place to come and do that.

"Frank had a limited amount of coaching experience in Denmark before coming to us as assistant-coach but he helped drive the culture.

"The club want to keep that and Andrews is clearly respected by those at the club, so he is in the perfect position to do a really good job with the support he has around him."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds