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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 4: Brentford
Guardian writers' predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 10th The summer has seen Brentford transformed from established and admired club to being the enigma they once arrived in the Premier League as. If anything, even less is known about what awaits them than back in 2021. The departure of Thomas Frank removed the club's public face, someone who embodied and fronted the rise of one of London's smaller concerns. Without him, uncertainty is unavoidable. Frank was a huge asset to the club, bordering on irreplaceable and so, Brentford must do things differently, as always under the club's idiosyncratic majority ownership. There is heavy trust in the process that benefactor Matthew Benham employed to establish Brentford, while Phil Giles is a highly respected sporting director, at the club for over a decade. The pair met in a different sphere, the world of sporting statistics for betting purposes. Their great gamble this summer is to replace Frank with a rookie manager in Keith Andrews, appointed from within. Many external punters now fancy Brentford for the drop. Success or failure will come via those processes. Frank took three key members of staff in Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton to Tottenham. Another assistant, Claus Nørgaard, has also departed. The playing staff will also look markedly – and for fans, almost certainly worryingly – different. Manchester United were shaken down for the full valuation of Bryan Mbeumo while Yoane Wissa has agitated to follow his partner out the door, too. If those two were the biggest-name departures then further on-field leadership has exited in the club captain, Christian Nørgaard, the veteran centre-back Ben Mee and Mark Flekken, the popular, underrated goalkeeper. A very different Brentford will greet opponents next season, with the ex-Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Caoimhin Kelleher immediately becoming the most widely recognised players at a freshly unknown quantity in whom fans are asked to keep the faith. Keith Andrews is new in the job but he's not an unfamiliar face, having enjoyed a lengthy media career since his retirement from playing. Last season, Brentford fans became used to the sight of Andrews on the sidelines as Frank's set-piece coach. Kieran McKenna, the Ipswich manager, was on the list of possibles, as was the departed Cochrane for another inside appointment. In late June, Andrews, with little frontline managerial previous beyond spells as assistant at MK Dons and then the Republic of Ireland, was plumped for. He has huge shoes to fill, even if he does have the bountiful hair to match his beloved predecessor. The summer of great change continued in July when Benham cashed out a minority stake of around 25%, for a deal valuing Brentford around £400m. The new minority owners are the South Africa-based UK businessman and former Autoglass chief executive Gary Lubner and the film mogul Sir Matthew Vaughn, behind such films as Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Kick-Ass and Layer Cake. Vaughn is also Mr Claudia Schiffer. Benham had been seeking new investment since late 2023, and the pair have paid £100m for their share of his Best Intentions Analytics holding company. Vaughn has revealed he previously considered buying in 25 years ago, when 'it would have been much cheaper'. The chief executive, Jon Varney, and Giles will, though, continue to run the club day to day. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion At 35, Jordan Henderson still has plenty to prove. There are doubts over his candidacy to be a member of Thomas Tuchel's England squad after ill-starred, and controversial, moves to Saudi Arabia and Ajax. If many expected a return to his Sunderland roots, Henderson chose London, there perhaps being little coincidence he is within easy reach of a Tuchel scouting trip. Henderson, as a Premier League-winning captain, brings huge experience, the type of leadership a club shorn of key personnel might seek. But has he the legs to play the all-out pressing style Brentford favoured under Frank and highly likely to continue under Andrews? Michael Kayode's loan move from Fiorentina was made permanent in May for a fee of £17.5m, after 12 impressive Premier League appearances. The Italy Under-21 international showed off his promise during that short window, including a rampaging overlapping right-back's performance in a 4-3 May victory over Manchester United that showed off Frank's team at its risk-and-reward best. 'He was very strong,' said the departed manager of a powerhouse performance from a player who has assimilated well into the Bees' culture. 'An easy decision,' said Giles once the move was made permanent. Kayode's long throws represent a considerable addition to the already dangerous set-piece repertoire Brentford can boast. Fábio Carvalho is another, though perhaps forgotten, ex-Liverpool player within the Brentford squad, someone who fell victim to the spate of injuries that denied Brentford's push for Europe last season. Like Igor Thiago, the club-record signing striker whose first season was wrecked by a knee injury, a shoulder injury robbed the 22-year-old of the final three months of 2024-25. Both Thiago and Carvalho will represent near-new additions to Brentford's squad. West London, when at Fulham, is where Carvalho played the best football of his career though admittedly at Championship level. Frank never quite harnessed the Portugal Under-21 player signed for £27.5m a year ago. 'The new coaches have been great – full of energy, fresh ideas,' Carvalho said during his club's pre-season training camp.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 5: Brighton
Guardian writers' predicted position: 8th (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons' prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 8th Although Brighton missed out on qualifying for Europe again, there was a sense of optimism rather than disappointment at the end of Fabian Hürzeler's first season at the helm. Had it not been for a costly loss of form in the spring that brought one point from four league games and a defeat by Nottingham Forest on penalties in the last eight of the FA Cup, the German head coach might even have matched his predecessor, Roberto De Zerbi's achievement of finishing sixth. After a raft of injuries to key players all season and with several signings from a summer spending spree of almost £200m struggling to settle, it was to Hürzeler's credit that his team ended only one point short of Brighton's record points tally from 2023 after three wins to round off the campaign. Now, in the words of chair Tony Bloom, with the youngest permanent Premier League manager having gained a year's experience, 'we are hoping for more next season'. Brighton scored 66 goals – the joint fifth-highest in the division – so much will depend on strengthening a defence that conceded 59, with the emphasis this summer on finding a long-term replacement for the veteran captain Lewis Dunk as he enters the last year of his contract. Diego Coppola, an Italy Under-21 centre-back, and Olivier Boscagli, who arrived on a free transfer from PSV, will be joined by the exciting Belgium left-back Maxim De Cuyper as Hürzeler hopes to build a more settled unit. The departure of João Pedro, who became the latest Brighton player to join Chelsea, has been offset by the signing of the highly regarded 18-year-old striker Charalampos Kostoulas. His fellow Greece Under-21 international Stefanos Tzimas and Sunderland's playoff hero Tommy Watson will provide more attacking options for a squad that still includes the outstanding Kaoru Mitoma despite speculation he could depart and looks equipped to maintain a sustained push for Europe. Hürzeler is guaranteed to wear his heart on his sleeve and has proved a hit with Brighton's supporters after the popular De Zerbi's departure. In an interview with British GQ in April, the 32-year-old revealed that he loves watches and Coldplay but never sits down in front of the television because there 'are so many better things to do'. 'I'm a big believer that the limit for our body is really high, and I think we don't always try to push our limits,' he said. Brighton's players should be well prepared for the start of the season in that case. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion After a record-breaking 2022-23 that yielded profits of £112m, Brighton announced a £73.3m profit in March – largely a result of receiving another large chunk from the British record sale of Moisés Caicedo to Chelsea. João Pedro's departure for £60m will help to balance the books after last summer's massive outlay made them the biggest net spenders in Europe. Bloom, who bought 29% of the Scottish club Hearts in June, is estimated to have invested more than £400m at his home-town club since becoming chair in 2009. In April, the long-serving chief executive, Paul Barber, committed his future until 2030. Much is expected of Kostoulas after Brighton saw off interest from several other clubs, including Chelsea, to snap him up for an initial fee of almost £30m that could rise by £2m to make him the most expensive Greek player in history. Represented by the same agent who took Giannis Antetokounmpo to the NBA, he became the youngest player to make a professional appearance for Olympiakos when he represented their B team at 15 years and seven months, before he was part of the side that won the prestigious Uefa Youth League last year. Kostoulas will learn plenty from the evergreen Danny Welbeck, who finished as last season's joint top scorer and turns 35 in November. Bart Verbruggen, having strangely alternated with Jason Steele under De Zerbi, was preferred between the sticks by Hürzeler last season but the Dutchman made several costly errors. Nonetheless, a recent survey by the Swiss research group CIES Football Observatory identified the 22-year-old as potentially the world's most valuable goalkeeper with a projected fee of £54m. Verbruggen, who joined Brighton in 2023 from Anderlecht for £16m, will need to show more consistency to retain Hürzeler's faith, although the England Under-21 goalkeeper James Beadle was allowed to join Birmingham on loan rather than provide more competition for the Netherlands international.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Estevao Willian explains why he picked Chelsea over Arsenal, Real Madrid & Barca
Estevao Willian has explained why he joined Chelsea and snubbed transfer moves to the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Blues announced in June 2024 that they'd signed the Brazil international teenager, who officially arrived at Chelsea this summer from Palmeiras. Estevao, who cost €34m (£29.2m) plus €23m (£19.8m) in add-ons, is considered to be one of the best young footballers in the world. The 18-year-old could've joined pretty much any club he wanted with Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Barcelona all registering an interest. In a new interview on the Chelsea website, the winger has now lifted the lid on why he picked Stamford Bridge instead of the Emirates or Spain. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. 'Their plans, the structure and the club – everything,' Estevao said. 'But mainly the plans and the project the club has is what interested me and my family, and I think it was the best decision we could have made.' Estevao has also expressed his admiration for Chelsea legend Eden Hazard and hopes to follow in the footsteps of a number of Brazilian players who've featured for the Blues over the years – including Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Ramires, Oscar and Willian. 'Eden Hazard is the one that I watched the most at Chelsea,' Estevao added. 'He's ace. '[And] it's a pleasure to be here where so many Brazilians made history. 'I hope to follow those who wrote a beautiful story here at Chelsea just like they did. 'After I had signed for Chelsea and in the final game of 2024, I played against Thiago Silva. He came and talked to me. 'He said I was going to love the club, which has an incredible structure and is an incredible club. And now [I am here], I can see how amazing this club is. '[My long-term goals at Chelsea are] I want to win all the titles possible: the Premier League and the Champions League as well. More Trending 'And personally, to be the best in the world and keep working hard so that these dreams come true.' Chelsea's new signing Estevao has been labelled the best Brazilian-born player since Neymar by Brazil's World Cup winner Branco. Neymar himself has waxed lyrical about Estevao, predicting the teen – already capped five times by Brazil – will prove himself as a 'genius'. Brazil legend Ronaldo, meanwhile, believes that Estevao is 'kind of like' Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal. MORE: RB Leipzig and Liverpool begin transfer talks over 'fearless' £50m English star MORE: Chelsea star 'set to join' Borussia Dortmund in £22m permanent transfer move MORE: Man Utd make Harry Maguire transfer decision after five offers for defender
