Brentford are about to enter its third season in the Premier League following its promotion in 2021. They beat Swansea in the 2021 Playoff final and have not looked back since.
Under the management of Thomas Frank and the ownership guidance of Matthew Benham (who also owns Danish side FC Midtjylland), the Bees have gone from strength to strength and are now respected as a very well-run side in the Premier League.
The unorthodox data analytics-driven approach to transfer signing has guided Brentford to a 13th-placed finish in their first campaign in the Premier League while last year they finished 9th, just two points behind Aston Villa.
Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium
Nickname(s): The Bees
Founded: 1889
Manager: Thomas Frank
Last Season: 9th
Top Scorer(s): Ivan Toney (20)
Played for both Villa and Brentford
Ezri Konsa
Ezri Ngoyo Konsa came through the Charlton Athletic Academy after signing for the club at the age of 11. Following a scholarship, he eventually made his debut for Charlton in 2016 in an EFL Cup defeat to Cheltenham Town. Three years and 71 appearances later he earned himself a move to Brentford in a deal said to be worth around £2.5million. He spent one impressive year with the Bees making 42 appearances before earning a move to Aston Villa.
The deal said to be worth in the region of £11 million meant Konsa was reunited with then manager Dean Smith who signed him a year before when he was Brentford’s boss. Four years later and Konsa is a firm fan favourite at Villa Park and has made 128 appearances at the time of writing.
Ollie Watkins
Oliver George Arthur Watkins started his football career in League Two with Exeter City. Watkins made a few appearances in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons before a loan spell with non-league side Weston Super Mare where he scored 10 goals in 25 appearances. In the two seasons that followed, the forward contributed to 25 goals in 75 games before earning a move to Brentford in a reported £1.8 million deal.
Watkins scored 49 goals in 143 games for The Bees before earning a big-money move to Aston Villa in a deal that could eventually be worth £33 million. Similar to Konsa, Watkins was reunited with former manager Smith and rewarded his manager’s faith in him by scoring 14 goals in his debut season. Since then Watkins has scored 27 goals over two seasons and earned 7 England caps in the process.
Head to Head
Aston Villa: 7
Brentford: 7
Drawn: 4
Last meeting: Brentford 1-1 Aston Villa (22 Apr 2023)
Last Win: Aston Villa 4-0 Brentford (23 Oct 2022)
2023/24 Fixtures: H – 6 Apr 24 , A – 16 Dec 23.
Confirmed Transfers
IN: Nathan Collins (£23 million), Kevin Schade (£21 million), Mark Flekken (£11.25 million).
OUT: Mads Bidstrup (£5.2 million), Halil Dervisoglu (£430k), Pontus Jansson (Free), Joel Valencia (Free).
Transfer Rumours
IN: N/A
OUT: N/A
Pre-Season
Brentford kicked off their pre-season with a 1-1 draw with non-league side Boreham Wood before jetting over to the US. They will meet Fulham on Sunday (July 23rd) in Philadelphia, followed by Brighton on July 26th in Atlanta. The Bees will complete their US tour with a friendly against our very own Aston Villa in Washington on July 30th.
They will then return to the UK where French side Lille will visit Brentford on August 5th.