Brentford won’t gamble by over-paying star players, says Frank

Brentford boss Thomas Frank says the club will not risk its financial future in order to keep its best players.

Despite pushing to secure a European place for the first time in the club’s history, Brentford boast one of the lowest wage bills in the Premier League.

“I am pleased that financially we are a very well run club,” Frank said.

“I know that money is key, but 70 per cent of a club’s success is a combination of structure, strategy, good coaching, leadership and recruitment.

“There is not much wriggle room for us to improve and beat the other teams with.

“So from that aspect it is really impressive how we are performing and hopefully we can keep adding layers and stay in the Premier League.

“We know it is impossible to keep the budget the same, but that is an exciting challenge”

The likes of Ivan Toney, Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock, Pontus Jansson, Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, David Raya, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard were all part of the Bees squad that won promotion in 2021 and remain key players for the team.

Frank conceded there will come a time when players will want to be upgraded financially, but insisted the club’s owner Matthew Benham and director of football Phil Giles will not be held to ransom.

“There is a limit you can’t cross, but that is down to Phil and Matthew,” he said.

“Every year we can finish the season strongly is a high (for the club). But next year it is another dog fight to finish as high as possible.

“I don’t know what the players want but I think it is important that we are strong and believe in what we are doing and there will be organic growth over time. But it is key for the sustainability of the club.

“There will be difficult decisions in the future but it is important we keep it to a sensible level.”