Brentford Trio on Premier League Radar
Brentford supporters will naturally be hopeful that their team can make it into the Premier League when the Championship finally reaches its conclusion. A step up to the top flight of English football for the first time since the 1940s would be a huge achievement for this small West London club, and many neutral fans are also getting behind the Bees.
Failure to make the playoffs and beyond wouldn’t necessarily be a disaster but, if Brentford are to remain in the Championship, the club are likely to face a summer battle over three players who have been so influential in this 2019/20 campaign.
Bees Rated Highly
When the league returns, Brentford are expected to continue where they left off based on the Championship betting markets as they are among the favourites to qualify for the playoffs with odds of 1/20 as of June 11th, while the Bees are available as an outside bet to achieve automatic promotion. Before the break in March, Thomas Frank’s men sat in fourth place, 11 points behind leaders Leeds United, and with nine games left to play, the clear aim is to cement that playoff position.
From there, the playoffs can be ruthless: Brentford can hope, but if they fail to progress, Premier League clubs will start to monitor the Bees’ best players with greater interest.
Striking Talent
Ollie Watkins has been prolific for Brentford this season, and the 24-year-old went into the March break with 20 goals in 31 league matches. His record prior to 2019/20 has been modest by comparison and that could make some clubs hesitant to move, but there has been no shortage of interest.
Brighton and Hove Albion have been mentioned in connection with a swoop for Watkins, and it’s thought that the striker has been on West Ham’s radar for some time.
Watkins has formed a productive partnership with Said Benrahma who arrived at Griffin Park from Nice in 2018. The Algerian international has returned a more modest ten league goals in the 2019/20 campaign, but his link-up play has alerted the scouts at Chelsea.
Dubbed as the Algerian Messi, Benrahma is seen by some as a perfect second option should the Stamford Bridge club fail to land Jadon Sancho in the summer.
Midfield Maestro
Pulling the strings behind the front men is former Arsenal midfielder Josh Dasilva. Like Benrahma, Dasilva arrived at Brentford in 2018 and, after making just three EFL Cup appearances with the Gunners, he’s found a home in West London.
The player has also contributed some useful goals to Brentford’s promotion campaign and Dasliva recorded eight strikes in his first 33 Championship games of the season. He’s only 21 but, having been released by Arsenal, he has something to prove in the Premier League and Newcastle United are among those linked to his signature.
The Bees have been in this position before but, in 2019/20, there is more at stake than mere promotion. The success of this side owes much to Watkins, Benrahma, and Dasilva. All three will be clear targets should Brentford fail to make it into the top flight.