Brentford

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Crystal Palace (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Defender Kristoffer Ajer is available: "[He] trained the whole week and will be involved with the squad on Sunday, so it's very positive."

• On transfer news, Frank insisted Yoanne Wissa is "not for sale", after an approach from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, adding: "He's been our leading number nine. He's been fantastic. I cannot see why we should sell him."

• On new signing Michael Kayode: "Really like him. Very happy that we managed to sign him to give us more depth in the full-back positions. He's very talented - a fantastic physical package. Good abilities to keep going forward. Very good defensively. Of course, he's young and needs to be developed. He hasn't played much this season, but last season he more or less played a full season at Fiorentina. A very good signing, I think. He will not be able to get that [international clearance] before Sunday."

• Frank is "very happy" Mikkel Damsgaard has signed a new contract. "He's been very good for us - one of our best players. He adds something to the game that is very difficult to train."

• On confidence after a draw with Manchester City and a late defeat by Liverpool: "It was two very good games. The Manchester City game got the most praise. It was more even but the more I look back at our game against Liverpool, in some ways that was equally as good. I thought we defended brilliantly and I think we had dangerous attacks. The right pass could have made it a big chance and goal. Now we just need to do it again."

• On not having won away at Palace: "I didn't know that - it's about time then. I think before the opening day, we hadn't beaten Palace - I think it was five draws and one lost in the first six games in the Premier League."

• More on Sunday's opponents: "It's a very good team. I think they're back to the level that they had in the back end of last year - they had that long run of very good games, good level. Glasner is doing a very good job. You know exactly what to expect from them when you face them. That doesn't make it easy. It's really difficult - difficult to break down. We need to play our A game, no doubt about that."

Listen to Crystal Palace v Brentford from 14:00 GMT on Sunday live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

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

Name this former Brentford manager from the following clues:

• I played in the Premier League for Manchester City during the 1990s.

• The Bees were the first English club I managed when I joined in 2011.

• I later had spells in charge of Wigan, Leeds and Fleetwood.

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

This Premier League pursuit becomes a lot easier if you take your chances.

BBC Sport has checked in on some data comparing goals versus expected goals this season.

You can see from the bar graph some teams aren't finding the goals (yellow) to outstrip the expected goals they should score (black).

Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Brentford, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Leicester have all scored more than expected.

Wolves in particular have found the net 32 times from an expected 23.56 - a significant overperformance.

League leaders Liverpool are pretty much bang on in returning what they should, while Arsenal have outperformed, with 43 goals from an expected 37.78.

Bournemouth - 36 goals from an expected 43 - are leaving opportunities on the table.

Every so often, a player is described by a pundit as someone who "loves to defend".

Most fans would naturally welcome such a sort in their team, that player who stands tall, lets stuff bounce off him and somehow masters the ability to become a magnet to the ball when it enters the penalty area.

BBC Sport took a look at three metrics this season - headed clearances, blocks and tackles - to see which players seem to relish this kind of thing.

Everton's James Tarkowski leads the way, amassing a total of 131 across the three areas, with Brentford's Nathan Collins second. The two men have made 73 headed clearances each, a stat that proves their value when it comes to defending dead balls.

Murillo - fresh from his contract extension at Nottingham Forest - was highlighted in recent weeks for a no-nonsense display against Liverpool, when he frequently launched clearances into the night. He makes the top three across these metrics and while Brazilian players are so often lauded for their flair, he can proudly carry the 'loves-to-defend' tag.

Image source, SNS

Motherwell have signed goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe on loan from Brentford until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at fellow Scottish Premiership side St Mirren where he made 26 appearances.

"I'm delighted to make the move to Motherwell," Balcombe said.

"One thing I noticed when I was playing for St Mirren was the competitiveness of the league and the atmosphere at most stadiums. This is a great opportunity for me to come back and do it again."

Manager Stuart Kettlewell added: "I'm really pleased to welcome Ellery to the club.

"We've not had our issues to seek with regards to injuries within the goalkeeping department. Ellery has played plenty of football this season in this league, so he won't need a settling-in period."

Phil Parry
BBC Radio London reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The fact that there was disappointment at securing just one point against Manchester City and Liverpool last week is a clear indication of the level of performance in both matches from Brentford.

Thomas Frank insisted the draw with City was the first time his side had gone "toe to toe with a top-three side for 90 minutes" since being promoted to the top flight. He certainly was not wrong about a match they could have justifiably won.

Naturally, positive performances and outcomes help focus attention on the players, as well as the coaches, who are making a difference. The likes of Yoan Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo will attract attention due to their attacking prowess but there are others who deserve credit from the wider footballing world.

One such player is Keane Lewis-Potter, now in his third season with the club after arriving from Hull City in July 2022. Injury in his first campaign hampered his opportunities, while last season he admitted it was hard to deal with the mental challenges and frustration of starting just 15 games in the top flight.

Patience has paid off and this season he has become an invaluable part of the starting XI, displaying incredible adaptability. A winger who has played at wing-back, in 2024-25 Lewis-Potter has been deployed as a left back in a four-man defence - a position he admits he has had to learn.

He has done it extremely well, dealing on Saturday with the dual threat of Mohammed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold for example. He has shown great defensive acumen but also the capability to spring forward into a more natural attacking mode.

Fans will be keen to see Lewis-Potter used in a more offensive way from now on, but what he has shown covering for Rico Henry is that he is can play a variety of positions at a very high level.

That only bodes well for more starts and banishing that frustration.

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Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken has made 101 saves in 22 Premier League appearances this season, the most of any goalkeeper.

It is the most saves per game (4.6) by a goalkeeper to play 20 or more games in a Premier League season since Jordan Pickford for Sunderland in 2016-17 (4.7).

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard says it was an "easy decision" to sign a new long-term deal with the club.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract to keep him with the Bees until the summer of 2030, with the club having a option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

"I've enjoyed my years here so it was a no-brainer for me to extend - I'm very happy," Damsgaard said.

"This season has been a lot better for me personally with a lot more playing time, but I've always enjoyed the atmosphere at the club, time with my team-mates and the way things have been set up.

"With the playing time now coming, it was a pretty easy decision to extend."

Brentford boss Thomas Frank said: "This season, he is starting to show what we believed we'd get from him.

"He has been one of our best players this season; we are very dangerous when he is playing.

"But there is more to come from Mikkel. It has been half a season, now he needs to perform for a full season."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford have agreed a new contract with midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard until 2030.

The 24-year-old has delivered three goals and seven assists in 27 appearances this season.

Damsgaard has overcome a difficult and injury-hit first two seasons - where he registered just two assists in 49 initial appearances after joining in a £12.6m deal from Sampdoria.

The Denmark international required keyhole surgery to overcome injuries that limited his impact in his early Premier League career, but is now being rewarded as one of Thomas Frank's most creative players.

He opened up on his difficult first season in west London in an interview with BBC Sport in 2023. "It was a tough period, but I got over it.

"So I'm happy and healthy now and really happy to be playing football every day with no problems.

"Physically, I didn't feel good. Even though I was training every day and I didn't necessarily have any problems, it was just my mind was going faster than my legs could move.

"It is very difficult and very frustrating to make mistakes you don't usually make."

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Fiorentina defender Michael Kayode is on the verge of joining Brentford as he travels to London to complete his move.

The 20-year-old defender is expected to join initially on loan with an option to buy included for the summer.

Capped four times by Italy Under-21s, Kayode has made 12 appearances for Fiorentina this season.

Brentford will allow Danish defender Mads Roerslev to leave, with Wolfsburg known to be interested.

Thomas Frank's side are 11th in the Premier League table after 22 matches this season.

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Proud.

That's how Brentford fans are feeling after a week in which we held our own against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and champions-elect Liverpool - both matches we were expected to lose.

For large parts of last Tuesday's Man City game, it felt like a contest that could go either way, with both teams missing good chances.

Once City had gone 2-0 up it looked like game over as it's rare to come back from two behind against a big six club. However, the Bees ensured our hard work on the night did not go to waste to earn a deserved draw in a pulsating finish.

It was our first point against one of the big boys all season and nicely set up Saturday's visit from Liverpool.

The Reds dominated most of the first half and the start of the second, and a lot has been made of the fact they had 37 shots.

However, it is the quality of goal attempts which really counts and only eight of those efforts were on target. By contrast, more than 50% of Brentford's 11 shots were on target, and Alisson made more saves than Mark Flekken.

I am not saying the Bees necessarily deserved to win the game, but it does show that we could not have been begrudged a point if we had held on for another four minutes.

In both matches, Thomas Frank abandoned his regular 3-5-2 against top six clubs - partly but not totally because of available players - to play a more attacking 4-3-3, proving that, as usual, he wanted to win.

More performances like this should comfortably secure our second Premier League top 10 finish.

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have made an approach for Brentford forward Yoane Wissa.

The Bees value Wissa at far beyond the £22m reportedly offered by the Reds.

BBC Sport can confirm the approach with Forest targeting competition for in-form striker Chris Wood, who has 14 goals in the Premier League this season, as they look to maintain their surprise Champions League challenge.

Forest are third in the Premier League after Sunday's 3-2 win over Southampton.

Wissa, who has 11 goals in 19 Premier League matches this season, is highly valued in west London and has proven a worthy successor to Ivan Toney.

The Bees will not accept bids in the £22m price range Forest have reportedly offered, despite the 28-year-old having just 18 months to run on his current contract.

Meanwhile, Brentford are interested in Fiorentina defender Michael Kayode. The 20-year-old Italian is being looked at to fill a problem position this season at full-back for Thomas Frank.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans:

George: Thomas Frank talked about finally being able to go toe-to-toe with a top-side after the draw against City - you can't say we didn't do that again. The final four minutes will have absolutely crushed the team's spirit. I hope the fans and staff are able to build it back up again quickly - playing like that versus any other team in the league would have given us three points.

Uzzi: About as cruel an ending you could expect. Played so well against an excellent side, had some good openings but the penny just didn't drop. Always felt one goal would settle it, unfortunately it wasn't for us.

Will: We held on and held on and held on but could not get over the line. We did admirably having played City just four days ago. Can't help but wonder if perhaps a couple more subs were needed (Mee for Mads? Rico for KLP? Carvalho for Wissa?). We could have maybe put more fresh legs on and had a better chance. A good game with a disappointing result but we go again… COYB!

Ben: Could clearly see the tiredness from an amazing game on Tuesday took its toll. But still so proud of another strong performance against a top side. Even with key players missing we still manage to be competitive. Credit to the manager, coaching team and the players. Keane Lewis-Potter (a winger) playing at full-back and keeping Salah quiet the entire game has to be one of the defensive performances of the season.

Liverpool fans:

Rob: Nunez man of the hour, could not be happier for him. Szobo was also excellent, as were the back four. Credit to Brentford - they defended very well, often getting the better of our starting front three.

Sean: What a surprise end to that game! Nunez is certainly a workhorse but he needs to keep that end product coming else he'll be gone soon. The fact that Alisson and Trent were by far the stand out players is quite a concern. Midfield seemed baffled by the low block. Salah was hardly noticeable (hasn't been for a few games now), while Diaz and Gakpo hold on for too long. Chiesa and Jota need to be starting games. Bench Salah.

George: Great energy and intensity with lots of possession. Needed to be more clinical in the last third. Seem to struggle to find a way through teams with a low block. Mo seemed very quiet, not making so many telling runs into the box. I thought Trent played well. We need to work on set pieces as we had so many corners and never looked like capitalising. Substitutions worked well. We deserved the win but it could easily have got away from us.

Yusuf: A solid display and one that was much needed after the past few matches. Credit to Nunez - won us the game and has eliminated all questions over his confidence. Something to note though - all players celebrated after the final whistle and went over to the fans but Mohamed Salah. Has transfer speculation affected him over the past few games?

Watch highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 0-2 Liverpool

• Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford boss Thomas Frank told BBC Sport after today's defeat: "I thought we played a really good game against the best team in the world right now. We did a lot of things right. We defended very well. We gave the opportunities away but not too big.

"We probably lacked the final cutting edge. We had some good chances and opportunities that never became opportunities because of the last pass or touch. Their centre-backs were exceptionally good."

On the first goal: "It's a deflection that [could] drops anywhere else because he blocks the cross but it dropped perfectly for him [Trent Alexander-Arnold] to play into Nunez. Tough to take but pleased with performance.

"We always try to win the game from minute one despite who's coming here. We knew they'd have the ball a bit more but we believed we could win the game.

On if Liverpool are the best team in the league: "Yes. I think we just played City and Arsenal and now Liverpool, in a short amout of time. For me they're a level above the two teams. They're complete. Their work ethic, the way they track back, are good indicators. They're so good all over the pitch. Such a threat going forward. These are really, really good. It's the best team in the Premier League and the world. They're huge favourites to win it [the title]."

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Reuters

Brentford have relied heavily on home advantage to steer clear of the relegation zone this season, with all but five of their 28 points coming at the Gtech Community Stadium.

However, their bubble appears to have burst over recent weeks after failing to win when hosting in five matches across all competitions.

They employed a cautious approach to their meeting with league leaders Liverpool, sitting deep and trying to hit on the counter.

Bryan Mbeumo showed early glimpses that he could offer a threat but quickly cut an isolated figure and was well marshalled by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Despite showing a lack of motivation to win, especially as the game moved into the last 15 minutes, it looked like Brentford, who were seeking their first clean sheet of the season at home, had done enough to take a share of the points.

Liverpool attempted 37 shots across the match and finally got their reward in injury time when Darwin Nunez registered twice.

It would be harsh to judge Brentford on their performance against a team in the driving seat to claim the title, but their next five games come against teams currently placed below them and Thomas Frank will be demanding a vast improvement.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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