In the dying moments of the 2025/26 season, Brentford stood on the brink of making history, holding a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield with a golden opportunity to finish seventh and qualify for European football for the first time.
In the 10th minute of added time, Mikkel Damsgaard laid the ball off to Vitaly Janelt on the left side of the penalty area. The midfielder whipped a first-time cross that curled invitingly toward the centre of the box.
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Kevin Schade was perfectly positioned, but Dango Ouattara reached the ball first and sent his header off target. Keith Andrews buried his face in his hands and dropped to his knees. What could have been the perfect ending to his first season as a head coach had slipped away.
“That moment captured the entire journey of our season—how we started, how we grew into it,” he reflects, looking back over three months later. “Everyone was completely invested in our progress and gave everything. Missing out on Europe wasn’t a failure, but it definitely gave us a taste of what we want to achieve going into pre-season.”
“I went on holiday and reflected with immense pride on what we accomplished. The very next thought was how we push forward and improve from here.”
Andrews was visibly distraught when Dango Ouattara headed over the bar in the final seconds at Anfield
In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Andrews promised growth in 2026/27. “This is our foundation,” he stated. “We’ll keep pushing forward.”
About two weeks after that Anfield finale, Andrews returned to the training ground.
“There’s incredible thinking time during the off-season that you don’t get during the season, allowing you to plan and analyze things in a more detailed way,” he explains.
“You look at how to improve training methods, preparation, squad atmosphere, team dynamics—every area where we can get a little bit better.”
“I didn’t think we needed lengthy meetings to define this season’s goals. The drive was there every day. You could sense it in the air.”
The first significant move came on June 12, when he appointed former Republic of Ireland teammate Damien Duff as his assistant coach.
Damien Duff spent four years as Shelbourne manager then worked as a FIFA technical advisor before arriving at Brentford
“He’s an incredible support for me every day. You need to be impactful in your role and whatever responsibilities you have, and Damien absolutely is.”
Squad planning followed, and after a hectic summer in 2025, this one was far more settled.
Star performers Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard departed for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, while Yoane Wissa’s eventual transfer to Newcastle was drawn-out and disruptive.
This year, there were no headline departures. The only first-team exits were Ethan Pinnock, who made just four Premier League appearances last season, and Frank Onyeka, who had spent nearly two seasons away from west London, both moving to Coventry for under £12m.
Instead, the focus was on adding depth, making Brentford the eighth-lowest spenders in the Premier League at £112.5m.
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Brentford head coach Keith Andrews speaks on the club’s transfer business and process after the summer transfer window closes.
“At certain points last season, we just lacked that extra bit of senior experience in the squad, different options during games to change things up,” Andrews explains.
“We always find ways to compete, and our players gave everything last season, but sometimes they needed a bit more support.”
“Our transfer approach this summer has been very precise. Jannik [Schuster] is a centre-back with a younger profile who’s slotted in beautifully, Callum Wilson and Jaidon Anthony bring proven Premier League quality and experience—it’s not just what they offer on the pitch, but off it as well.”
“Mamadou Sangare was an eye-catching signing and has started brilliantly for us. And the latest addition is Malick [Diouf] from West Ham, who we’re thrilled to have secured.”
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Keith Andrews says El Hadji Malick Diouf ‘fits what we are about’ as he joins Brentford for 40 million from West Ham.
“We’ve strengthened an already strong squad, added quality, and retained exactly who we wanted to keep. I’m extremely pleased with the business we’ve done.”
Andrews frequently talks about continuous improvement and is candid that surpassing last season means reaching European competition: “Naturally, the next step for us is to try and break that ceiling.”
He will undoubtedly face questions on this subject in press conferences for months to come.
But what does that actually look like on the pitch?
“The next phase of individual player development,” he states.
“Take any player… Michael Kayode. He had an outstanding season—let’s help him improve further. When you develop all your players, build their confidence, and foster the right environment—which we do—they will inevitably progress.”
Michael Kayode (left) has been a key player for Brentford since arriving from Fiorentina in January 2025
“When players improve, the team naturally benefits. Then you examine each phase of the game.”
“We’re a real threat at set-pieces, very dominant at the moment, and we want to maintain that.”
“How do we create chances? The game is about scoring goals and keeping them out. So how do you generate opportunities? We want to create them in different ways and not be a one-dimensional team.”
“And how do we improve defensively? Do we press high aggressively? Can we sit deep, absorb pressure, and threaten on the break while defending our box with intensity and collective determination?”
“These are some examples of how we plan to take that next step.”
So far, that progress is becoming visible.
On the opening weekend, they hosted Tottenham at the Gtech Community Stadium and overwhelmed Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur.
They secured a 3-0 victory, though it could have been four had Igor Thiago not struck his penalty against the base of the left post.
Reviewing the match afterwards, Sky Sports‘ Jamie Redknapp was full of praise.
“When someone was out of position, they found a way to fill the right spaces. They’re incredibly brave at the back—the two centre-backs play so high and press you, preventing you from breaking out,” he noted.
“Roberto De Zerbi said beforehand they’d face plenty of long balls, but what they actually encountered was total football.”
“That phrase can mean different things to different people,” Andrews responds.
“For me, it relates to how we approach the game. We can play in various ways. We can now control matches with the technical quality we possess as a team.”
“The players are thriving within the squad and our style. If teams want to battle, we’ll battle.”
“We have so many different qualities in this squad that we can trouble opponents unpredictably, while respecting every phase of the game and trying to neutralize their strengths while surpassing them.”
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It was an evening Andrews won’t forget.
“First and foremost, credit to our fans. The flags [organized by the TW8 Casuals] and the atmosphere as the players returned from their warm-up were something special.”
“It felt charged and intense. I loved the intent from our supporters right from the start. They could sense a performance coming.”
“I was confident the players would deliver. You never truly know, but the connection between players and fans was extraordinary, and we sustained it throughout.”
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Callum Wilson scored six minutes into his first competitive Brentford start and Nathan Collins struck twice as the Bees thrashed Birmingham City 6-1 at St Andrew’s.
A commanding 6-1 victory over Birmingham in the Carabao Cup followed, before a 1-1 draw against Leeds at Elland Road last weekend, where Andrews felt Schade deserved a penalty following a challenge from Jayden Bogle in the box.
Sunderland’s visit to the capital is next on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re in a good place, there’s no doubt about it. The players are expressing themselves freely, with tremendous verve and personality, which I really enjoy watching.”
Brentford’s next five Premier League fixtures
- September 5: Sunderland (H)
- September 12: Bournemouth (A)
- September 18: Chelsea (H) – Live on Sky Sports
- October 10: Aston Villa (A)
- October 17: Liverpool (H)
“The only way to maintain this is to keep pushing, keep demanding more from each other. It’s a positive environment to be demanding when you’re playing so well with such intensity.”
“Nothing is guaranteed in this league, but we can challenge the group further, they can challenge each other, to see how far we can go.”
They came agonizingly close to European qualification at Anfield. Andrews is determined to ensure Brentford get even closer this season.