Brentford

Latest updates

  1. Today's trivia challengepublished at 07:21 18 April

    Brentford quiz graphic

    Guess the current Brentford player from these three clues:

    • I joined Brentford from Liverpool.

    • I had loan spells at Preston, Schalke and Mainz during my time with Liverpool.

    • I am yet to score a Premier League goal for the Bees.

    Come back to this page later for the answer

  2. Brentford v Brighton: Did you know?published at 16:53 17 April

    Ivan Toney scoresImage source, Getty Images

    Brentford have won just one of their seven Premier League games against Brighton and that was a 2-0 home victory in October 2022.

  3. 'Kayode could give Hickey and Ajer real competition'published at 12:26 15 April

    Ian Westbrook
    Fan writer

    Brentford fan's voice banner
    Michael Kayode battles with Gabriel MartinelliImage source, Getty Images

    Michael Kayode showed he can be Brentford's next successful signing with a brilliant cameo performance at Arsenal on Saturday.

    The on-loan Fiorentina right-back has struggled for minutes since arriving at the club in January, partly because of injury.

    He has failed to start a game but had made five substitute appearances before the weekend's trip across London - only one of which had been before the 80th minute.

    However, following his earliest introduction to date - in the 69th minute - he played a crucial role in two key moments that earned the Bees a point.

    Firstly, his overlap run and brilliant dinked cross set up Nathan Collins to head back to Yoane Wissa for our equaliser.

    Then almost immediately at the other end, he made a brilliant goal-saving tackle to deny Bukayo Saka after a mistake by Mark Flekken.

    Kayode has looked an exciting player every time he has come on so far.

    Full of enthusiasm and with an amazing long throw, his debut against Spurs in February left us wanting to see more of him, but after three more brief appearances that month, the Brentford injury curse struck him down.

    He returned - again briefly - against Chelsea at the start of April, before his starring role on Saturday.

    Given our safe position in the table and the fact Kayode is on loan with a view to a potential full transfer in the summer, I think it would be worth giving him some starts in our remaining six games to judge just how good he is.

    If he continues in the same vein and we sign him in the summer, then he could give hopefully fit-again Aaron Hickey, and the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, some real competition at right-back next season.

    Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  4. Brentford enter multi-club partnership with Merida ADpublished at 10:07 15 April

    Nizaar Kinsella
    BBC Sport football news reporter

    Matthew Benham and Thomas FrankImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Matthew Benham bought his boyhood club Brentford in 2007 and brought them up the leagues

    Brentford are set to re-establish a multi-club system after the purchase of Spanish third division side Merida AD.

    Merida has been bought by Brentford's holding company Best Intentions Analytics, rather than the club itself or owner Matthew Benham directly, but the west Londoners will be part of a multi-club system again after Danish side Midtjylland were sold in 2023.

    Merida, fifth in the third tier and operating in the province of Badajoz in western Spain, will have access to the same innovative analytics systems that helped Brentford punch above their weight since Benham's purchase in 2007.

    Best Intentions is currently seeking investment and valued at £400million.

    Sources close to Benham say he prefers a minority partner with expertise in media, advertising and commercial spaces but could be tempted into a full sale should an offer be substantial enough.

    When Brentford announced their new holding company in March, a statement said it was established to "modernise" the ownership model, "provide greater flexibility" and "better position the club for future growth".

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  5. Arsenal 1-1 Brentford - the fans' verdictpublished at 10:53 14 April

    Your views banner
    Mark Flekken and Gabriel MartinelliImage source, Getty Images

    We asked for your thoughts after Arsenal's Premier League game against Brentford, which ended as a 1-1 draw.

    Here are some of your comments:

    Arsenal fans

    Guy: I'm not surprised by a lack of victory. Arsenal have been poor all year in the league. Second flatters us. We just don't look like winning these types of matches anymore.

    Rachel: Disappointed, but not surprised by the performance. It wasn't easy to choose a standout player, probably Thomas Partey who had a decent match. Lacklustre and below par, seems that this is standard for the time of year. No doubt Real Madrid is looming large on the horizon.

    Bola: Lacklustre, uninspiring. Mikel Arteta blew it, he killed the momentum with the first substitutions after Arsenal's goal. Ill-timed, poor judgment.

    Tony: The B team were doing so well. I really can't understand why Arteta felt the need to make changes, to bring on the A team. All went downhill from that point and Brentford seized the initiative. Points needlessly thrown away.

    Shaun: It's amazing that Arteta hardly ever makes a sub until late in the game when he starts with his strongest 11. Yet against Brentford, he makes three after an hour and surprisingly it's three players who were playing well. We were far better before the subs. Leandro Trossard clearly can't play centrally, and worryingly, Martin Odegaard was very poor again. There was not a lot in the game, but yet again we've failed to secure a win after taking the lead - a total of 16 points now dropped this season.

    Brentford fans

    Keith: It just shows how far we've come as a club when you can nullify a team like Arsenal for most of the match and only concede on the counter.

    Will: This is a point we'd have been happy with any day this season, and I felt like we played well and went toe-to-toe with the Gunners. We didn't have many chances but we found a way. I hope we will see more of Gustavo Nunes and Michael Kayode as I feel like they added a variety we seem to need right now to be creative and undo opponents. A set of very tough matches done, the run in looks promising and I hope we can achieve a top-half finish.

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  6. 'We are never celebrating a point but it is a very good point'published at 20:13 12 April

    Thomas Frank managing BrentfordImage source, Getty Images

    Thomas Frank spoke to Sky Sports after Brentford's draw against Arsenal: "Of course, it is a very good point against a very good Arsenal team that beat Real Madrid four days ago. Fighting back to get to 1-1 shows the character in our team. I would have loved us to create more but they also defended very well."

    On Yoane Wissa scoring again: "It is such a privilege. How many No nines have scored 15 Premier League goals this year for a team that, with all due respect, is not amongst best in the league? That is a big credit to Wissa but also the chances we create."

    On his ambitions: "We would love to compete for Europe and aim for as high as possible in many ways. That is what we are fighting for every single year and game. We are never celebrating a point but it is a very good point. We will keep pushing."

  7. Did you know?published at 19:37 12 April

    Yoanne Wissa celebrates for Brentford Image source, Getty Images

    Yoane Wissa scored his 15th Premier League goal this season, making Brentford the first side to have two players score 15+ this term (Bryan Mbeumo on16).

  8. Sutton's predictions: Arsenal v Brentfordpublished at 11:11 12 April

    Sutton's predictions graphic

    I wanted Arsenal to try to push Liverpool in the title race but boss Mikel Arteta clearly knew something I did not, resting his players against Everton last weekend and then demolishing Real Madrid the way they did.

    Arteta will make changes again here before Wednesday's second leg at the Bernabeu, and the fact it will not be the Gunners' strongest side makes this quite hard to predict.

    Brentford are very capable but I have a feeling the Gunners will still have enough to win, even though they are prioritising Europe now.

    Sutton's prediction: 2-1

    Read the full predictions and have your say

  9. Follow Saturday's Premier League games livepublished at 11:08 12 April

    A graphic showing players from all 20 Premier League clubs with the text: "Follow the teams you care about. Sign in or create an account for the latest news, expert opinion, fan views and stats, and to get notifications."
    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.

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

    • Manchester City v Crystal Palace (12:30)

    • Brighton v Leicester City

    • Nottingham Forest v Everton

    • Southampton v Aston Villa

    • Arsenal v Brentford (17:30)

    Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

    Follow all of the action and reaction here

  10. Semi-automated offsides a 'step in right direction' but take 'with a pinch of salt'published at 11:07 12 April

    Nedum Onuoha, BBC Sport columnist
    Referee Craig Pawson checks the VAR monitorImage source, Getty Images

    There are lots of different perspectives in terms of how you watch a game of football, and I think for the majority of time the people in the stadium get the best atmosphere, but the worst views of how a game has actually gone.

    You don't really get the chance to see multiple replays and have discussions about things, because you just get caught up in the moment.

    With the incoming semi automated offsides, they did promise it earlier in the season - but I think the caveat was they're only going to do it when it's ready.

    It is a positive that they didn't do it when it wasn't ready.

    One upside to to the new technology is some of the arguments disappear. Previously you could say 'but it looks like it's this to me' or 'it looks like it's that to me'. When it is presented now, there aren't many people that will then be looking at the animation, going back to the video, and then going down a proper conspiracy rabbit hole.

    So, it ends more arguments, not all arguments, but more arguments.

    I think people, as a consequence, will be more accepting of it.

    But, I still do believe that there's things for people to understand, because it can't be used in every situation. There are certain decisions which can still be a little bit more complex, and there's certain times where human intervention will still need to be brought in.

    I wouldn't say it's as clear as, say, goal line technology, but it's a step in the direction to where most people feel more comfortable accepting the outcome and the speed of it as well will be encouraged.

    It's not to say that it's going to be instant. If you believe this is going to be perfect, and always extremely fast, ask yourself, why do you think that?

    Unless somebody has told you that from PGMOL, then take it with a pinch of salt and you see how it goes.

    I think it's something that many people have seen before so hopefully there will be fewer arguments.

    But, because it's football, there'll always be something to argue about the end of the day.

  11. Frank on injury news, defending free kicks and having 'trust in ourselves'published at 16:29 10 April

    Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal (kick-off 17:45 BST).

    Here are the key lines from his news conference:

    • There is "no new injury news" for Brentford as "everyone who was available for Chelsea is available again".

    • Frank added: "The three guys who are getting closer - [Aaron] Hickey, [Igor] Thiago and Gustavo [Nunes] – are progressing and going in the right direction. Gustavo is the closest of the three. Let's see."

    • The Bees boss hopes his side can "play as offensive as possible" when they face Arsenal, however, has acknowledged they will "need to defend a bit" against the Gunners, adding: "Hopefully we can be as much as possible in the middle and high pressure."

    • Frank was at their opponent's Champions League match against Real Madrid in midweek and called the 3-0 win an "unbelievably impressive performance".

    • On defending against Declan Rice's free kicks: "The second one was particularly difficult to defend but, of course, you could avoid giving the free-kick away. For the first one, I hope our wall would be a bit different, so he can't get around that side. That would be my expectation. But let's just avoid giving fouls away."

    • He said that "no matter who Arsenal put on the pitch that it will be a "difficult game".

    • Frank added: "We believe in ourselves and trust ourselves - we've done very well the last two times we've been there - 2-1 last season, we could've got something out of it, and 1-1 the year before."

    • On Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta: "A great manager, they've got a lot of details and principles they've put into the team, and I like what they do."

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

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  12. Did you know?published at 14:42 10 April

    Christian NorgaardImage source, Getty Images

    Christian Norgaard has either scored (two) or assisted (one) 50% of Brentford's Premier League goals against Arsenal (three of six).

    He has also scored in two of his past three away games in the competition.

  13. How did Frank and Maresca behave in the technical area this weekend?published at 07:59 9 April

    Adam Millington
    BBC Sport journalist

    A graphic showing where both managers stood during the Brentford v Chelsea match. Thomas Frank spent 30% of his time in the dugout, while Enzo Maresca spent most of his time patrolling the front of his technical area.

    Coaching on a matchday is a team affair for Thomas Frank. He has no qualms with stepping back to analyse the game and allowing the rest of his backroom team to deputise.

    Frank constantly shifted back to the bench with his notepad in hand to speak to colleagues before stepping back to convey information to the players on the pitch.

    He seemed to prefer the slightly higher vantage point from the bench. It also gave him the ability to intently watch replays of what was happening on the pitch, assess the game in real time and make any needed adjustments.

    Enzo Maresca, however, was the polar opposite. He rarely retreated to the bench, instead spending the game pacing up and down - and often outside of - his dugout.

    Maresca was regularly animated, shouting instructions towards his players and running backwards and forwards. Frank, meanwhile, was quiet and pensive in his technical area.

    See what all the other managers did

  14. A 'changing of the guard' at Brentford?published at 12:26 8 April

    Ian Westbrook
    Fan writer

    Brentford fan's voice banner
    Ethan PinnockImage source, Getty Images

    This is something I do not want to write, but is a changing of the guard starting to happen at Brentford?

    That was one question to come out of Sunday's goalless draw with Chelsea, for which Ethan Pinnock was dropped to the bench instead of starting for probably the first ever time when he has been fit.

    Pinnock has been absolutely crucial to the Bees' rise over the past six years and always quite rightly been first choice at centre-half.

    He is hugely popular, has played more than 200 games for us in all competitions, scored a dozen goals and has been one of our most consistent players since arriving.

    Pinnock's timing and reading of the game has always been immaculate and to have only five bookings and one red card in all that time is extraordinary for a centre-half.

    However, sadly this season at times his powers have seemed to be waning a bit.

    Mistakes are so rare that when Pinnock does make them, everybody notices. After a couple early in the season, he was twice outpaced by Beto against Everton in February and then twice gave the ball away in last week's defeat at Newcastle.

    He was substituted late on in that match and then left out on Sunday, in favour of Sepp van den Berg, who took Pinnock's place when he was out injured at the turn of the year.

    It could be that Pinnock is still not fully fit and that when he is, he will be as good as new.

    But it could also be that Van den Berg, who formed a solid partnership with the now undroppable Nathan Collins in Pinnock's absence, may have moved above him in the pecking order.

    Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.