Leeds United rival's expected double transfer loss offers new relegation possibility

The summer transfer period is in full swing with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland and Burnley already engaged in incoming and outgoing activity.

One club destined for a summer of change is Brentford who look set to lose head coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur and prized attacker Bryan Mbeumo. The Bees have established themselves as a solid Premier League club over the past couple of seasons, having earned promotion via the play-offs in 2021. However, this summer, there is the possibility that without adequate recruitment and replacements for the seemingly departing duo, the West Londoners could find themselves mired in relegation trouble.

That is one view, but to those who have followed the Bees' operation since majority shareholder and supporter Matthew Benham took charge in 2012 when still a third tier outfit, the outlook for the coming weeks and months is somewhat different.

Brentford are one of English football's most upwardly-mobile, forward-thinking clubs, particularly when it comes to player trading.

Mbeumo's anticipated sale will make the club a healthy profit, following in the footsteps of their Ivan Toney sale last summer, which led many supporters to question how they might cope without their talismanic frontman. To answer that, Brentford finished six places higher, scoring 10 more goals even though the man signed to replace Toney, Brazilian forward Igor Thiago, spent the majority of the season sidelined through injury.

Brentford's recruitment model is one of the most envied in Europe, relying on some of the smartest minds at the intersection of data and football. Their work in the summer market is already underway with the acquisition of sought-after Irish international goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool, whom many Leeds fans were keen to add to Daniel Farke's squad.

The Bees are adept at finding value where it appears there isn't any, signing lesser-known players, only for them to establish themselves as capable, competent Premier League operators. Often, the club are then able to turn a significant profit when the time comes that interest from traditionally larger clubs is too great to ignore. Toney, Ollie Watkins, David Raya and Said Benrahma are all recent examples of players who excelled at the Gtech Community Stadium, and formerly Griffin Park, while the club has gone from strength to strength.

Losing a long-serving head coach and his backroom staff to a league rival is, understandably, a blow for the Bees this summer, as is the expected departure of a 20-goal wide forward, who will almost certainly become the club's record sale.

What it does is gives Brentford the opportunity to innovate and evolve. The club will no doubt hire a coach which fits the existing profile of the squad, who has demonstrated top-level coaching ability elsewhere. Few had heard of Brondby's Thomas Frank before the Dane joined the West Londoners in 2018, guiding the team to play-off finals and promotion before, against the odds, consolidating their place in the top flight.

Mbeumo, too, was a 2019 addition from French Ligue 2 side Troyes, signing for a then club-record fee of £5.8 million. This summer, Brentford could realistically earn 10 times that sum from his sale after over 200 league appearances and 70 goals.

Last season demonstrated that even clubs from the Premier League's established 'Big Six' are not safe from being dragged into a relegation dogfight, however, those hoping to see Brentford battling it out near the bottom along with Leeds and others towards the end of the season should not underestimate the Londoners' ability to innovate, adapt and overcome the challenges this summer presents.