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Brentford, Premier league’s new addition, had a dream start to their Premier League season. In the very first game, they beat Arsenal to announce their arrival. Draws against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa mean Brentford are unbeaten in the league. They are already looking comfortable in the most competitive league in the world.
Major incoming transfers at Brentford
1. Álvaro Fernández
The 23-year-old Spaniard was brought in to provide competition to first-choice goalkeeper David Raya at Brentford. For most of last season, David Raya was the undisputed No.1 at Brentford. Let’s give credit to him, he was brilliant and you won’t have a club like Arsenal chasing you unless you have done something really good.
But this season, Thomas Frank wants to push his goalkeeper further. What better way to do it than signing a young goalkeeper who will be hungry to do more after a breakthrough season at his club?
Álvaro Fernández just enjoyed a breakthrough season at Huesca. He made 22 appearances for his club, keeping five clean sheets in the process. Thomas Frank will hope that Fernández will push Raya to the next level and prove a valuable addition to the squad. However, the question of how many times he will play for Brentford this season?
Our rating C +
2. Yoane Wissa
The DPR Congo international arrived from FC Lorient after enjoying a good spell with the club. He has made 117 appearances, scoring 35 goals in the process for the club. Last season he scored ten goals and provided four assists for the Ligue 1 club. He will hope to reproduce the same form in the Premier League.
With Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo in front of him, it won’t be easy for Wissa to get into the Brentford first team, but he will undoubtedly be a good option for Thomas Frank to call up from the bench.
Our rating B+
3. Myles Peart-Harris
Let’s be honest, Chelsea has one of the best academies in England. Each season a host of players graduate from the academy who can be a good addition to any club.
While people may criticize their loaning system, it’s no doubt that it has worked. Look at the talent Chelsea's academy has produced. The problem with producing these many talented players is that they might find it hard to get a shot at Chelsea’s first team, and players may opt to move away from the club.
Just look at Patrick van Aanholt, Nathan Ake, Tariq Lamptey and Oriol Romeu. And these are the players who are still in the Premier League.
The latest talent to leave Chelsea's academy is attacking midfielder Myles Peart-Harris, who was a star in the Premier League 2 season last year. He has scored seven and provided four assists in 13 appearances for the club in Premier League 2. While the jury is still out on this transfer, there is no doubt Myles Peart-Harris is a talented lad on who we should keep an eye on.
Our Rating - B-
4. Frank Onyeka
Frank Onyeka arrives from Danish club Midtjylland. A Midtjylland graduate and Nigerian international, Onyeka could be the wildcard signing that could surprise many at the end of the season. Having enjoyed Champions League football with Midtjylland, Onyeka should be able to help the club navigate through the Premier League season. Still only 23-years-old, Onyeka has time and experience on his side to become a crucial player in Brentford’s history.
Our rating – B-
5. Kristoffer Ajer
Kristoffer Ajer is the biggest signing Brentford have made this summer. Kristoffer Ajer is a huge talent. You won’t have clubs all around Europe chasing you unless you have done something good. At only 23 years of age, he already has bags of experience after being a regular at Celtic. He could be the perfect replacement for Henrik Dalsgaard.
Our rating – B+
Major transfers out of Brentford
Emiliano Marcondes
Let’s be honest, Emiliano Marcondes was struggling at Brentford. The step up from the Championship to the Premier League would have been too much for him. He joined Bournemouth at the end of his contract and is already feeling at home at Scott Parker’s team. So, let’s rejoice the moment that everything worked out for the best.
Luke Daniels
Luke Daniels was tasked with providing the necessary competition for David Raya but never looked like he would. Raya was the far superior goalkeeper of the two and managed to keep Daniels to only four appearances the whole of last season. If that doesn’t say your time is up at the club, what will? Now in the twilight of his career, Daniel left Brentford and Middlesbrough this summer.
Henrik Dalsgaard -
When Brentford were promoted, Thomas Frank would have made plans that included Henrik Dalsgaard. Unfortunately, the Danish international had other plans for his career. He decided it was time to return home with FC Midtjylland, putting an end to his four-year spell at Brentford.
You cannot fault the 32-year-old for his decision, though. He is slowly coming towards retirement age, and one last swing at home might be what he needs. Plus, he will be much closer to his family there.
For Brentford, sure, it was a blow losing one of the players who played a crucial role in the promotion. But they have managed to pull off the signing of Kristoffer Ajer, beating competition from the rest of Europe. That would be pretty exciting.
Overall rating of Brentford’s transfer activity – C
Yes, they have made an excellent start to their season. Even though they have managed to beat Arsenal with that team, the league is only going to get tough from here.
Once the honeymoon period is over, and teams learn the way Brentford plays, they are going to come up with a plan to null their attack and beat them. It is at that time that the lack of transfer activity would come back to haunt them.
But Brentford’s ability to keep their star players, especially the front two, Ivan Toney and Mbuemo, and their goalkeeper David Raya should be lauded. They had all been targets for established Premier League clubs. That should boost morale at the club a lot.
