The final few days of the summer transfer window always throw up surprises. This time a year ago, Brentford made an audacious and unsuccessful attempt to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for what would have been a club-record figure of €30million (£25.8m; $32.8m).
Brentford have spent the past few weeks trying to get more firepower upfront by signing Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson or Fiorentina winger Nico Gonzalez, but their priorities have dramatically shifted.
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The club have held preliminary talks with Marseille over signing midfielder Azzedine Ounahi. The 23-year-old was one of the stars of Morocco’s run to the semi-finals of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year. Ounahi excelled playing as an advanced midfielder ahead of Manchester United target Sofyan Amrabat.
Brentford’s needs changed after Josh Dasilva pulled up clutching his hamstring in the 89th minute of their 3-0 victory over Fulham on August 19. It looked painful and a few days later, head coach Thomas Frank confirmed he would be out “for months”.
Losing Dasilva is a blow that was compounded by Shandon Baptiste dislocating his shoulder in training. Brentford suddenly look light in midfield, which is why they re-signed Saman Ghoddos on a one-year deal, just a few months after releasing him.
We are in the next stage of Brentford’s evolution as a club. The players they sign are bigger, bolder and more expensive than ever before. In July 2021, they broke their club record to sign Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic for £13.5million. They have eclipsed that figure four times since then, most recently with Nathan Collins’ arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £23m deal. Yet they were prepared to go even higher to get Johnson, with a bid of around £40m.
The fanbase’s expectations have risen in conjunction with the price tags. However, not every player will hit the ground running and some will not work out at all. If Ounahi ends up joining Brentford, it is important to give him time to settle.
There is a temptation to think that signing Ounahi would instantly solve one of Brentford’s underlying issues — which is their overreliance on Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt. Apart from Christian Eriksen’s 11-game spell in west London, that trio have been the nucleus of Brentford’s midfield. During their first two seasons in the top flight, Norgaard and Jensen started 56 matches each, with Janelt just behind on 51. The next closest central midfielder is Frank Onyeka with 20 starts. Frank needs somebody who can consistently challenge the trio and provide them with a rest.
Mikkel Damsgaard has struggled with arthritis (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)Mikkel Damsgaard joined Brentford from Sampdoria last summer for around £12million. Like Ounahi, Damsgaard grabbed everybody’s attention with his performances at a major international tournament. Damsgaard replaced Eriksen in Denmark’s starting XI at the European Championship in 2021 after the latter suffered a cardiac arrest in their opening game against Finland.
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Damsgaard scored twice in five matches, including a stunning free kick against England in the semi-finals. He joined Brentford 12 months later and was always going to take time to fully recover from an arthritis diagnosis. He has struggled to adjust to the physicality of English football and failing to register a goal or assist in 26 appearances last season was disappointing.
Damsgaard predominantly played on the left wing for Sampdoria. He does the same when he represents Denmark. It is not a shock that Brentford’s plan to convert him into a central attacking midfielder has hit a few hurdles. The 23-year-old’s impressive performance in a 3-2 victory over Fulham in March indicated he does have the skill set to thrive in that role long-term.
“We are seeing more and more in training of why we actually signed (Damsgaard) a year ago,” Frank said before Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend of the new season.
“I think myself, him and the surroundings, we forget how long it takes to get back to a normal level after being out (injured). Now we see some of his actions. Now he turns forward and goes past a player. I expect he will take a very good step in the right direction this season.”
Damsgaard is not the only player Brentford have signed in the past couple of years who has experienced teething problems. Kevin Schade did not score in his first 21 appearances before his brilliant solo effort against Crystal Palace last Saturday, while Keane Lewis-Potter’s debut season was disrupted by knee and ankle injuries.
This is the gamble you take with young talent. They need time to adjust to new surroundings, team-mates and demands. In The Athletic’s audio documentary Access All Areas: Brentford, Ben Mee — who joined the club from Burnley last July just before his 33rd birthday — said: “All of the information and analysis they give you was quite overwhelming at the beginning.
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“If I was a young player coming straight into the team, it would be difficult to go out on the pitch and remember everything that was put in front of me. But being a bit more experienced, I was able to grasp it quicker.”
It is hard to predict what will happen in the next 48 hours. Deals for Johnson and Gonzalez look difficult to pull off and Ounahi will not come cheap. The 23-year-old only joined Marseille from Angers in January for £7million on a contract until June 2027.
Ounahi would bring something different to Brentford’s midfield. He is a slick, technical dribbler who can open up defences with his clever footwork. It is important to remember, though, that supporters were just as excited a year ago about Damsgaard.
(Top photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
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