Thomas Frank: Brentford's blueprint to success after Ivan Toney exit, transfer policy and the missing piece to the puzzle

Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Christian Norgaard, the defensive unit as a whole, Fabio Carvalho, Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Mikkel Damsgaard.

That was the full list of honourable mentions that were praised by Thomas Frank in the post-match team talk video that swept social media following the impressive 4-2 win against Newcastle United.

But there is a glaring omission from this list. Himself.

Following the sale of Ivan Toney to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli this summer, many questioned how the Bees would cope without his talents upfront, having scored 36 goals in 83 appearances in the top flight.

But with Frank at the helm and the strong recruitment strategy in-place at the club - Brentford march on and continue to impress.

Here, VidSport Live takes a look at the strong foundations at the club and the only missing piece to the puzzle ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Newcastle, live on VidSport Live.

A large part of this success and the ability to continue competing at the highest level is down to Frank.

The Dane joined the club as an assistant in 2016 and would go on to succeed former boss Dean Smith in 2018.

He is now six years into his time in charge of the Bees and his record of 90 wins throughout his first 200 games, which is the highest of any manager in its history, highlights the job he has done in west London.

Regardless of high-profile exits like Toney, David Raya, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma, Frank has driven the club from play-off final heartbreak in the Championship, to Premier League regulars capable of competing with the very best on a weekly basis.

It is the reason that his name is frequently linked with any top role that becomes available and also highlights why Brentford must ensure Frank is one departure that does not come to fruition.

One other major factor driving the success is the recruitment strategy in place at the Gtech Community Stadium.

When faced with losing key players, many clubs would look to the transfer window to immediately address the gaps left in their squad.

However, at Brentford, they adopt a forward-thinking approach that simultaneously provides more depth and arms them for the future, which is fuelled by the statistical and analytical approach of their director of football Phil Giles.

"You can't buy a player to solve a problem - you've got to think long term and be as patient as possible," said Giles to the official club website when asked about the recruitment policies in place.

"Thomas [Frank's] job is to focus on now, whereas my job is to ensure we're in a good place long term.

"Thomas wants the best team available and wants to win every game, and I do too. That's the main thing."

Without Giles thinking of the future by overseeing the statistical modelling and progressive philosophy at the club, there is no "now" for Frank. Brentford are a well-oiled machine from top to bottom.

Last summer's outlay of £75m was the biggest the club have parted ways with since ascending to the Premier League in 2021, as the likes of Igor, Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg were all brought in.

Igor and Carvalho were the marquee signings and cost just over £46m but have only started four games in the top flight, which is a common theme for Brentford.

As Giles mentioned, the future of the club is always at the forefront of their thinking throughout the recruitment process and this allows players to slowly ease themselves into the first-team picture.

Schade, Damsgaard, Keane Lewis-Potter and Yoanne Wissa are now all either first-team regulars or growing in importance after previously being used sparingly in their first seasons at the club.

Wissa and Schade are yet to surpass their total minutes this season in comparison to their first at the club, but they will undoubtedly do this given their 16 goal involvements across the campaign so far.

Players are bought with the intention of growing and contributing for years to come. If they hit the ground running as soon as they arrive, like Nathan Collins and Mark Flekken, it is an added bonus.

There is of course a glaring issue with this Brentford team, which is their form away from home.

Just one of their points across the tally of 23 has arrived on the road and that could easily be zero if it was not for the 0-0 draw with Everton, which saw Brentford reduced to 10 men.

Seven losses and one draw is a stark contrast to their showings at home. If they were able to secure even half of these available points, the Bees would be sitting comfortably in the top four.

It is the only blemish in what has been a stellar start to the season for Frank and his side.

Their next chance to address these woes? An away trip to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, live on VidSport Live.