The Premier League’s total spend of £403million in the recent transfer window was the third-highest on record for a January (up on last season’s £100m, but well down on the £815m of 12 months earlier) and there is a lot of chatter on message boards and blogs regarding who had the most successful window.
Was it Manchester City who spent a mere £178 million on the likes of Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez – the second highest ever January spend behind Chelsea’s £274 million last year? Perhaps Aston Villa who received an eye-watering £64m for Jhon Duran, who wasn’t even starting, and gambled on bringing in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan.
There was major activity at the bottom of the league too with Ipswich bringing in Ben Godfrey, Julio Enciso and Jaden Philogene. Spurs with Antonin Kinsky, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel and Wolves who bolstered their defence with Emmanuel Agbadou and Nasser Djiga with Marshall Munetsi shielding in front of them were also active spending almost £60 million between them.
Eight teams, including Brentford elected to avoid the January madness and kept their power dry until the Summer and I would like to try and convince you that the Bees had an exceptional transfer window despite buying nobody – quite simply because they had no real need to do so – and we all know that there are few bargains to be had in January when clubs are liable to panic and overspend as they desperately seek that elusive European place or sense the relegation trap door beginning to close behind them.
Perhaps we should begin by highlighting what did not happen.
None of Brentford’s much vaunted and coveted strike trio of Bryan Mbeumo. Yoane Wissa or Kevin Schade left the club despite a lot of reputed interest from the likes of Newcastle and Arsenal for Mbeumo, a firm but pretty derisory bid from arch nemesis Nottingham Forest for Wissa alongside some interest from Spurs and a lot of noise about Borussia Dortmund potentially coveting the improving Kevin Schade.
There might well come a time when perhaps two of the three leave for pastures new – maybe even as soon as this Summer as both Mbeumo and Wissa are only contracted (including options) until 2027 and possibly might not be inclined to further extend their deals.
Wissa at 28 years of age and with 12 goals to date this season is perhaps nearing or at his peak and the time might come when the club decides to cash in.
Mbeumo is in his sixth season with the club – a remarkable statistic in this day and age for a player of his undoubted calibre – and at 25 still has more development potential despite already being an elite Premier League striker with 14 goals to his name so far this season. There will be massive interest in him this Summer and I would suspect that should Brentford’s valuation be met then it is pretty likely that the time will come for us to reluctantly part company.
As for Kevin Schade, he is still in his infancy at the club given his long injury absences with three more years left on his contract and he is only now beginning to demonstrate his vast potential with a hat trick against Leicester and six goals scored in total including a classic centre forward’s header against Crystal Palace.
Any possibility of the club agreeing to sell any of them in January was further diminished by the continuing absence of record signing, striker Igor Thiago who owing to long-term injury and subsequent illness has barely scratched the surface at his new club and not had the opportunity to make any impact and provide the aerial threat and hold up play lacked since the departure of Ivan Toney.
Not only did the club manage to keep hold of three of their prime assets but they also extended the contracts of three of their top players in Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and perhaps most encouragingly – Mikkel Damsgaard.
Hickey has had an appalling time of it since we last saw him play in the win at Chelsea in October 2023 and has undergone two hamstring operations. He is expected back shortly and the club has shown faith in him and rewarded him with a contract extension until 2028 with an additional one-year option. The club has behaved impeccably and I am sure that Hickey is champing at the bit to get back onto the grass as soon as possible and at 22 years of age time is well on his side.
Keane Lewis-Potter has been a revelation this season and his performances at left wing back and left back have meant that the continued absence of Rico Henry who is hamstrung after making a brief return in January, has not has the negative impact that was expected. There is talk that KLP might even find himself on the radar of the new England team boss and at 23 he is still very young. His progress has been rewarded with a stonking new contract until 2031 (plus a one-year option) and I have never heard of a contract of this length being awarded to a Brentford player before and it is a testament to how much he is valued by the club.
Few would argue that Mikkel Damsgaard has been the best Brentford player this season, after two injury hit seasons, everything seems to have clicked for the midfielder who has shown skill, pace, tenacity and vision to score twice and have eight assists to date and establish himself as an elite Premier League player. Personally, I think he is the best player that I have ever seen play for the club – certainly since Christian Eriksen. He has now signed a new deal which runs until the summer of 2030 with the club holding an option to extend his contract by an additional year.
These three contract extensions represent exceptional work by the club and I suspect that there are ongoing conversations going on currently with Christian Norgaard who is another player of immense value to the club who ideally will also extend his stay in West London.
Continuity is key and it is important to note that no fewer than seven players from 2021 Championship promotion winning squad remain at the club in Pinnock, Henry, Janelt, Jensen, Norgaard, Dasilva and Mbeumo.
The defeat against Spurs last Sunday was enlivened by an exciting cameo debut by young right back Michael Kayode, a loan signing from Fiorentina with the club also holding an option to purchase him at the end of the season. The Italian Under-21 international looked strong, quick and positive and also possesses a huge long throw which he will surely use to good effect.
His arrival has led to loyal, consistent right back Mads Roerslev joining Wolfsburg on loan with an option to purchase at the end of the season for over £5 million. Not a bad return for a low-cost bargain signing for the B Team – perhaps pound for pound our best ever value signing – who has played almost 100 Premier League games and always given of his best as well as being an excellent clubman.
Let’s see if Kayode proves himself to be a worthy successor.
The B Team was also busy with two players leaving on a permanent basis in the excellent Tristan Crama who after a highly successful loan spell at Exeter has joined Millwall where he has already starred in an unfamiliar right back role. Crama was a particular favourite of mine but his pathway at the club was blocked by the likes of Ji-Soo Kim, Josh Stephenson and Benjamin Arthur and we wish him well and I would not be surprised if he develops into a Premier League performer in the future.
Kyreece Lisbie has performed well when fit as a striker or winger and recently in the absence of Ashley Hay has struck a rich vein of goalscoring form. This has attracted the attention of Colchester United, a club for whom his father starred, and at 21 he now has the deserved opportunity to make a name for himself.
Several other promising players have gone out on loan in Matthew Cox (Crawley), Ellery Balcombe (Motherwell), Ryan Trevitt and Tony Yogane (Exeter) Michael Olakigbe (Chesterfield), Ashley Hay and Val Adedokun (Cheltenham) and talented young first team squad left back Jayden Meghoma is already impressing at Preston North End where he was loaned, ironically just before the new injury incurred by Rico Henry.
There has been one addition to the B Team ranks in exciting England Under-19 international winger Romelle Donovan who has initially joined on loan perhaps with a purchase option.
The Bees did not have a transfer window that gleaned massive press coverage but it is hard not to say that we ended the window far stronger than when it opened and the sensible approach employed totally epitomises just how well the club is run.
Greville Waterman