It was Tuesday 4th August 2020. Premier League football looked like a heavy possibility for Brentford. All that stood between the Bees and £170m in premiership revenues was a play-off final against Fulham, following their 3rd place finish in England’s second tier. It all seemed too perfect - Premier League football for the first season at the new Brentford Community Stadium. A devastating extra-time defeat to Fulham consigned them to another season in the Championship. Following the disappointment, Brentford had to let go of some of their star assets. Out went top scorer Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa for £33m and Said Benrahma, Brentford’s player of the season, went to West Ham.

Thomas Frank’s outfit had the summer to rebuild and get ready to fight for promotion again this season. Notable arrivals featured Ivan Toney (£5m) and Saman Ghoddos (Loan). The opening stages of the season have been challenging for the Bees. Whilst Ivan Toney has been a major success, contributing 12 goals, Brentford have struggled to break down opponents and there has been over-reliance on his scoring. They currently sit in 7th, just 5 points of top spot. Many pundits believe that we are yet to see the best from Brentford. There is an abundance of talent in the West London side and it’s obvious this is yet to be fully unlocked. Brentford fan Matt Everett shared his thoughts on their chances of promotion this season: ‘I think, without Benrahma and Watkins in attack, it’ll be a challenge. However Toney has made a great start and, if he keeps scoring, promotion is achievable’. Players who have had slow starts, like Bryan Mbuemo and Josh Dasilva, haven't reached their peak of last season. Thomas Frank’s possession-based football has given Brentford a valiant platform to score goals for fun. However, there has been a lack of clinical precision. Whilst Brentford’s expected goals for this season is 22.72, they’ve managed just 20. And so, despite some poor results, the Bees are still tipped for promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history.  The future looks bright for Brentford.