Imagine taking a long time to reach a desired destination. Once you finally get there, you will want to spend as much time as possible enjoying it. Brentford find themselves in that position, having finally won promotion to the English Premier League. However, sportsbooks seem convinced Brentford will struggle to survive.
Minnows Brentford Will Struggle for Premier League Survival
Short Stay
Winning promotion to the English Premier League is a tough task. Brentford last played in the highest league in England in 1947. They had to play 49 games last season before securing promotion.
Staying in the top flight is an even more difficult job, especially with teams like Manchester City spending big. Last season saw Fulham and West Bromwich Albion relegated after just one season in the English Premier League. The other side going down was Sheffield United after two seasons.
Sportsbooks offer odds on who will be relegated; it’s not all about who will win the title. They spend ages working out their odds, and that’s why they are rarely wrong. It’s important to do some research before joining any sportsbook.
Sportsbooks
Accessing a site such as BettingNews.com will supply you with plenty of important information about sportsbooks. Then when you register with one, you can see the gloomy odds on Brentford, Norwich City, and Watford being relegated in the new season.
Brentford so nearly won promotion in the 2019/20 season. Losing their last two games of the regular season saw them go into the play-offs and eventually beaten by Fulham in the final. Last season saw them in their new ground, one that deserves Premier League football to be played there.
A run to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and a long unbeaten run again had hopes of promotion rising. Again, they went into the play-offs but this time beat Swansea to win promotion.
With a place finally secure in the English Premier League, some important decisions have had to be made by Brentford. Do they go out and spend a fortune on players and hopefully avoid relegation? Fulham did just that and still ended up being relegated.
Financial Restriction
The simple fact is that Brentford haven’t got the finances to go out and make expensive signings. Their most costly transfer to date has been that of Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic for £13.5 million. The defender was the top choice of Brentford coach Thomas Frank, and they fought off interest from Norwich City.
Another new recruit is the Nigerian midfielder Frank Onyeka from Midtjylland. He scored 17 goals in 126 games for the Danish side. One common problem that promoted teams have is scoring goals and not conceding too many. These two signings will help Brentford in that regard, but more is needed if they want to be playing in the 2022/23 English Premier League season.
Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders this season. The 25-year-old striker was playing for Peterborough United in League One (the third tier of English football) two seasons ago. He was transferred to Brentford and scored 31 goals in 45 league games, the top scorer in the Championship.
Now he’s a Premier League striker, and no one is imagining he’s going to score over 30 league goals this season. Half that total would be a good return, and if getting support from other players, that might defy the sportsbooks odds on them going down.
Will that happen, though? Take away the glut of goals from Toney (several from the penalty spot), and their next highest league scorer in their promotion campaign was Sergi Canos, with nine goals.  He’s never managed to get into double figures, so why should he suddenly start to do so in a much tougher league? An attacking midfielder and another forward are desperately needed by the Londoners. There is little money to spend, so they will seek bargains rather than entertain thoughts of a megastar like Lionel Messi, who is likely off to PSG in France.
The problem is that they conceded 42 goals in the Championship last season. That’s a figure that could well increase now that their defenders are up against some of the best strikers in the world. More defenders are needed who have experience of the English Premier League.
Positive Start Essential
A good start to the season is important for Brentford. Their survival task is hard enough already without having to play catch-up. Home form will be vital for them, but the Bees begin with a visit from Arsenal and then trips to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa before hosting Brighton. With Liverpool, Chelsea, and Leicester being their next three home opponents, they need to get some good results, or those online sportsbooks might just be right again.
