Brentford happy to do it their own way in quest for promotion

Using statistical analysis to sign players, ditching their academy and scrapping the captaincy are some of the innovations that have turned the west London side into contenders

With Thursday’s transfer deadline looming, you could forgive scurrying rivals for peering over the fence at Jersey Road in envy. It may seem an odd thing to say given they have lost their captain, John Egan, and winger Florian Jozefzoon, to Championship competitors this summer but few clubs navigate transfer windows better than Brentford. They do not panic but rather rebuild and, once more, Dean Smith’s stimulating side – top of the tree after a thumping 5-1 opening-day win – have plans of surprising the field.

They are comfortable in their own shell, happy at being different from the rest, visionaries of sorts. Brentford cross-reference potential signings through owner Matthew Benham’s statistical-analysis company, SmartOdds and ditched their £2m-a-year academy two years ago. This pre-season the manager, Smith, scrapped the captaincy altogether – long before the £4m sale of skipper Egan to Sheffield United – preferring a leadership group. Smith is intrigued by rugby, particularly the freedom for players to get involved in the tactics of the game. He has gleaned titbits from visits from the French Rugby Federation and London Irish, while he has an invitation to watch Eddie Jones’s England team.

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