There’s an old Gang Show tune called ‘Friends,’ written, judging by its contents, in a simpler period, that rattles through a list of quaint luxuries one can ostensibly do without.
This week, several items seem suspect (umbrellas and winter overcoats are both out), but there is no mention of £100 million centre-forwards.
Brentford, on the other hand, continue to make a compelling case, with Ivan Toney, rated at that nine-figure number in one report this week, still a couple of months away from his return but the Bees having matched their greatest Premier League start in his absence ahead of Saturday’s visit of West Ham.
True, the sample size is small, but points totals of 12, 13, and now 13 from their first ten games in the past three top-flight seasons speak to the consistency Thomas Frank’s side has found since their promotion in 2021, a level that has been maintained despite the loss of their best player.
Only a few weeks ago, you were worried about Brentford, at least as much as you could be worried about any team in a division that also includes Burnley, Luton Town, and Sheffield United. The international break came after five League games without a win, including a humiliating home defeat by Everton.
Since then, however, Frank’s team has turned a corner, with back-to-back victories over Burnley and Chelsea inspired partly by the brilliance of Bryan Mbeumo, who was nominated for the Premier League’s player of the month award this week.
No one was more clearly expected to step up to fill the Toney hole, with the 24-year-old having succeeded as a foil to Brentford’s talisman but now being counted on as a spearhead himself. Mbeumo’s four-game streak without a goal or assist since mid-September coincided with the Bees picking up only a single point, emphasizing the magnitude of the task.
Goals and assists against Burnley and Chelsea have brought the Cameroonian’s record in the former category to six in ten League matches, only three short of his total from last season, when he played in all 38. That pace is certainly unsustainable, but it’s worth noting that the apprentice is on track to outperform master Toney’s 20-goal haul from last term.
Brentford have found a way to function without Toney, with superb left-back Rico Henry the standout amid what has at times been a long list of absentees, but it is visiting manager David Moyes who comes to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday with new gaps to fill.
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