Brentford

As the dust settles on this Premier League campaign, we asked former England international Fara Williams for her underrated XI for the season.

She selected Byran Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa from Brentford in her team.

I can't have one of these without the other really. For a club who finished 10th to have one player score 19 league goals and another score 20 is incredible.

When Ivan Toney departed last summer everyone wondered how Brentford would make up for his goals and I worried they may struggle to stay in the league without their main man.

However, Thomas Frank has adjusted his system to maximise the effectiveness of Mbeumo and Wissa whose quality and pace has caused so many Premier League teams' defences problems this season.

For context, Toney managed 20 league goals in his best season - and these two got 39 between them! It is an unbelievable goal return.

For Brentford to be fighting for and talking about Europe deep into the season shows how established they have become as a Premier League club and Bees fans must be raving about this duo every week.

There will be the inevitable conversations over whether the club can keep hold of them over the transfer window but regardless of what happens it has been a very special season.

Brentford finished the season as the league's sixth-highest scorers. Including the 11 scored by Kevin Schade, their front three scored 50 combined.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

The transfer window opens on Sunday - albeit for 10 days initially, mainly so sides competing in the Club World Cup can get early business done - before reopening for the rest of the summer on 16 June.

Are there certain players you are desperate for Brentford to sign, or an area of the squad that needs improving? Or maybe holding on to a key player is your biggest priority.

And what about sales - who needs to go?

So over to you... what names need bringing in and shipping out?

Let us know here

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk has signed a new long-term contract, keeping him at the club until 2031 with an option for an extra year.

The Ukraine international signed for the Bees in the summer of 2022 from SC Dnipro-1 and, after initially impressing for the B team and making his first team debut, signed a five-year deal in 2023.

Yarmoliuk made 35 appearances in all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign, with 31 coming in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old started nine of the final ten games of the season and made his senior Ukraine debut against Belgium in March.

"I am very happy to sign a new contract with the first team," he said on the deal. "It just gives me more energy to work even harder.

"I've really enjoyed the season, starting in the Premier League and making my senior Ukraine debut. I'm so proud of myself and just want to keep going.

"You always need to have something to improve. I want to improve everything in my game to take myself and the team to the next level.

"I am so grateful to the club for this, and it gives me more confidence and enjoyment in playing football."

"I'm so pleased," added Bees Thomas Frank.

"It's another big success story for the B team. Neil MacFarlane and his team did a great job to get him ready for the first team.

"He's started the last six games, which is his next step. He's a fantastic pressing player, he's dynamic, and he covers so much of the pitch.

"He's strong in duels and he has a drive to run forward. I like the way he distributes over the pitch.

"Yehor has a few development areas as he's still a young player, but he is another good example of a Brentford player who will make us better in the future and who will also get better himself."

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew: Where do you see Bryan Mbeumo being at the start of next season? Do Brentford need to sell?

Brentford manager Thomas Frank certainly suggested there is the possibility of a deal to be done when he said: "I would like to keep him but we are a selling club so if someone comes in with the right price…".

The right price would be very expensive give his outstanding form for the Bees, scoring 20 league goals. Surely you are talking around £50m. I can certainly see why Manchester United would be interested if they can afford it, and while Brentford will quite rightly drive a hard bargain I can see a player of such quality moving on in the summer.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz ranked second in distance covered (242 miles) last season and he also made the most sprints in the Premier League with 907.

Bryan Mbeumo and Milos Kerkez also rank highly, just behind Fulham's American speedster Antonee Robinson.

Newcastle's Anthony Gordon completes the top five.

While Gordon ranked fifth for sprints overall across the season, he sprinted more often than any other player, averaging 29 sprints per 90 minutes.

What's in a name? Well if the name's Anthony (or Antonee) then it is sprinting, with Gordon, Elanga and Robinson all in the top five.

Munoz is here again, coming in at fourth, behind Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson.

Image source, SNS

Brentford head of individual player development Steven Pressley has left the club.

The former Scotland and Hearts defender ed the Bees in 2021 and has played a role in progressing several players from the B team to Thomas Frank's squad, including Yehor Yarmoliuk, Ryan Trevitt and Paris Maghoma.

"After careful consideration, I've decided it's time for a new challenge in my career," Pressley said, external.

"I leave the club having formed some great friendships, great memories, and also being appreciative of the opportunity to work with some highly-skilled people, which has allowed me to learn and grow as a person."

Director of football Phil Giles added: ""As well as developing some of our best young players and having a meaningful impact on first-team performances in the Premier League, he's been a top professional and a pleasure to get to know as a person.

"On behalf of everyone at Brentford, I wish him well."

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC's Ask Me Anything team have done all of the research ahead of the announcement detailing next season's Premier League matches.

The fixtures for the 2025-26 season will be released at 09:00 BST on Wednesday, 18 June 2025 and the release will include the weekly schedule of all 380 matches.

The season will begin with a single fixture played on Friday, 15 August 2025 and conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all matches will be played at 16:00 BST. There will be 33 weekend rounds of fixtures, plus five midweek rounds.

The exact date and time at which individual matches are played during each weekend will be determined at regular intervals throughout the season, based on TV selections made by broadcasters.

Read the full article here

Brentford have approached Liverpool over g their £20m-rated Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, 26.

The move for Kelleher comes as the Bees prepare to let 31-year-old Dutch goalkeeper Mark Flekken Bayer Leverkusen. (Independent), external

Finally, Newcastle are ready to make their first moves in a crucial summer, with a bid for Brentford's 25-year-old Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Speed has become such a defining aspect of Premier League football for years now. Whether it's lightning-quick wingers tearing down the flanks or centre-backs chasing down counterattacks, speed can be the difference between winning and losing.

With that in mind, let's have a look at the fastest players in the Premier League this season.

Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven was the fastest player in the top-flight during this campaign, reaching a top speed of 23.1 miles per hour

Manchester City midfielder-turned-right-back Matheus Nunes was the second-fastest, just ahead of Nottingham Forest's speed merchant Anthony Elanga.

Not only does Bryan Mbeumo run a lot and sprint a lot, he's fast too…the whole package!

As for the slowest players, the above data looks at outfield players that racked up at least 10 full games' worth of minutes – to give them a chance to build up some steam.

In that metric, Wolves' 35-year-old defender Craig Dawson was the slowest player, reaching a top speed of 18.4 miles per hour.

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and West Ham's Tomas Soucek may be among the slowest players, but they were also two of the hardest runners - covering over seven miles per 90 minutes - which shows they were built for stamina over speed.

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford have confirmed Michael Kayode's loan move from Fiorentina has been made permanent, with the defender g a five-year deal.

Kayode signed from Fiorentina in January, initially until the end of the season, and established his place at right-back in Thomas Frank's starting XI for the final six Premier League games of the season.

The Italy Under-21 international made 12 appearances, assisting Yoanne Wissa's goal in the 4-3 win over Manchester United in April.

"I am so excited to extend my stay at Brentford," Kayode said.

"I have felt so welcome from the first day I arrived at the club, thanks to my team-mates and the care the coaching staff have shown me. I've wanted to play in the Premier League since I was a child and it's been so good to do that here. "I can't wait for more next season and beyond!"

Brentford director of football Phil Giles added: "Michael has been fantastic for us since he arrived in January, not only with regards to his performances, but also in of his personality and the energy he has brought to the training ground.

"It was an easy decision to make his transfer permanent this summer, and we look forward to seeing him back for pre-season in July."

We asked you to select your Brentford player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan contributor.

And with the poll now closed, we can reveal the winner is... Mikkel Damsgaard!

Here's what Ian Westbrook from Beesotted podcast, external said about him:

Mikkel has been a revelation this season and finally shown the superb form he displayed for Denmark in Euro 2020.

His eye for spotting a and playing it is exceptional and only Mohamed Salah, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga have more than his 10 assists in the Premier League this season.

See the final poll breakdown

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes covered the most ground this season, running 261 miles (St James' Park to Wembley is 271 miles).

He retains the award after racking up 263 miles in the competition last season.

Josko Gvardiol, Daniel Munoz, Bryan Mbeumo and Milos Kerkez complete the top five for most distance covered across the Premier League season.

Taking time on the pitch into (out of players that played over half the available minutes), Guimaraes was pipped by Newcastle team-mate in the list by team-mate Sandro Tonali who covered more ground per 90 minutes than the Brazilian…although Bruno still ran 7.2 miles per 90 minutes!

Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski ran harder than any other player this season, covering 7.7 miles per 90 minutes on average.

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek ran an average of 7.5 miles per 90 minutes, while Manchester City's Bernardo Silva (7.3) and Brighton's Yasin Ayari complete the top five.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Bournemouth and Tottenham were the most physical teams in the Premier League this season when considering the distance they covered and the number of sprints performed.

The results might explain why they had a lot of injuries.

Newcastle and Brighton were not too far behind though, with Brighton actually covering the most ground in the league, with fewer sprints.

Chelsea and Liverpool's style of play saw them sprint a lot but not cover a lot of ground, while Manchester City and Arsenal were the opposite (ran a lot but didn't sprint a lot).

Nottingham Forest very much had their own style of play this season as they both ran and sprinted the least.

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Season rating: 8/10. Our second top 10 finish in four Premier League seasons, three players scoring 10 or more goals - only a European place could have topped this.

Happy with your manager? Thomas Frank is the inspiration behind Brentford's rise. A brilliant tactician and man-manager, he totally understands the club's philosophy and financial limitations. He has adapted our playing style as our Premier League life has gone on - and while other clubs may try to get him over the summer, he knows he is on to a good thing with us and will never lose his job.

Unsung hero: Probably captain Christian Norgaard - not so much unsung by Brentford fans but by ers of other teams, who still don't know what he can bring to a side. With us for six years, and now staying for two more, the side is poorer without him. He breaks up so many opposition attacks, but can also play a key and has improved his goalscoring this season. It is amazing he still doesn't have his own terrace song!

Player you would most like to sign: A lot of this depends on who goes and who stays in the summer. Bryan Mbeumo, if he is sold, is irreplaceable, but we have players we can move to the right. However, if we also lose Yoane Wissa, then, while we have Igor Thiago, I would try to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich. Like Wissa, he seems like a natural finisher, is a good age and has already scored goals in the Premier League.

Right now my overriding emotion from the season is: Pride that my little club, who I've largely watched at League One and League Two level, are deservedly the 10th best team in England. And pride at the way we are run, the unity between the players, as well as between them and us fans, and also the genuine care for people the club seems to show.

Do you agree with Ian's answers? Pick one or two categories and send your views

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Image source, Getty Images

Here's my quick assessment of Brentford's Premier League season - and a return to my August predictions.

Ended the season: 10th

Pre-season prediction: 17th

What an outstanding job manager Thomas Frank continues to do at Brentford. They finished in the Premier League's top 10 and the days when many (guilty!) thought they would struggle to survive in the top flight are long gone.

They made a nonsense of those pre-season pessimists. (Guilty again!)

Brentford are always entertaining with those two outstanding forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. They barely missed a beat after the loss of Ivan Toney.

What I said in August: "Manager Thomas Frank continues to do a fine job but this may be his biggest test."

Read my assessments of the other 19 teams here

Manchester United have held talks with Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, who is valued at about £50m. (Talksport)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Brentford's draw with Wolves on the final day, and their season as a whole.

Here are some of your comments:

Jane: Great season. Top-half finish for the second time in three years. Some great entertainment at home and away. A solid team that fights for one another. A fantastic head coach and coaching team. Women's team promoted. Can't wait for next season.

Gilson: Never mind, lads! There's still lots of honey to spread on our position. Finishing above Spurs and Manchester United can't be bad. I think next season will be even better. However, this will depend on whether we keep all our best players at the club. Well done- amazing football club with a world-class manager.

George: Fair result - we frustrated Wolves on the counter consistently but were too afraid to shoot from strong positions and took a few touches more than we could afford. We finish where we deserve to - the dream can begin again next season!

Andrew: 10th is an excellent effort by all concerned at the club. Now to add more cream during the summer.

Sel: Well done Brentford for punching above their weight. Would be great to have a season with fewer injuries.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's 10 final day Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Nottingham Forest 0-1 Chelsea

• Liverpool 1-1 Crystal Palace

• Wolves 1-1 Brentford

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford boss Thomas Frank, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We were closer to edging it. It was a bit of a game of two halves. In the first half we were better.

"In the second half I thought Wolves had a few dangerous moments. It was a little bit of a disappointing goal to concede, but that happens. We probably should have made it 2-0 in the first half, but we didn't."

On Bryan Mbeumo: "I think it's fantastic for all three [Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade too]. It's a big compliment to the three of them, but also to the team. For Bryan to finish on 20 goals is incredible."

On Brentford's season: "To produce two top-half finishes in four seasons is incredible. There's a lot of clubs that I ire that haven't done that in many years. We've done a lot of things well."

On the future of Mbeumo and Wissa: "I've said many times before, we're a selling club. If the right bid comes in, we're open, but of course I'd like to keep [my players]."

Image source, Getty Images

Bryan Mbeumo's opener was his 20th goal in the Premier League this season - the second Brentford player to reach that tally in a single campaign (also Ivan Toney in 2022-23) and the first Cameroon international ever to do so.

It was also his ninth opening goal in the league this campaign - the t-most of any player (also Raul Jimenez and Chris Wood).