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

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

That was the full list of honorable mentions suggested by Thomas Frank in the post-match team chat video which swept social media following the impressive 4-2 win against Newcastle United.

But there is a big omission on this list. He himself.

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

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

here, Sky Sports takes a look at the club's strong foundations and the one missing piece of the puzzle ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, live on Sky Sports.

Frank is the biggest weapon

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 will go on to take over from 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 in his first 200 games, the most of any manager in their history, reflects the work he did in West London.

Despite high-profile departures from the likes of Toney, David Raya, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma, Frank has moved the club from Championship play-off final heartbreak to reigning Premier League champions able to compete with the best every week.

The reason is that his name is often linked with any key role that becomes available and it also shows why Brentford must ensure that Frank is one departure that does not materialise.

Recruitment strategy driving performance and sustainability

Another key factor driving the success is the recruitment strategy based 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 progressive approach that will give them more depth and armor for the future, which is inspired by the statistical and analytical approach of their director of football Phil Giles.

“You can't buy a player to solve a problem – you have to think long-term and be as patient as possible,” Giles told the team. The club's official website when asked about the recruitment policies in place.

“Thomas (Frank)'s job is to focus on him now, but my job is to make sure we're in a good place for the long term.

“Thomas wants the best team available and he wants to win every game, and so do I. That's the main thing.”

Without Giles envisioning the future by overseeing statistical modeling and the club's progressive philosophy, there is no “now” for Frank. Brentford are a well-oiled machine from top to bottom.

Always two steps ahead

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

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

As Giles said, the future of the club is always at the forefront of their thinking during 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 all now first-team regulars or becoming more important after previously being underused in their first seasons at the club .

Wissa and Schade have yet to surpass their total tallies this season in their debuts at the club, but will no doubt do so with their 16 goals in the campaign to until now.

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's an added bonus.

The final piece to the Brentford puzzle

Of course there is a big problem with this Brentford team, which is their form away from home.

Just one of their points out of 23 has come on the road and that could easily have been zero had it not been for the 0-0 draw with Everton, which saw Brentford reduced to 10 men.

Seven defeats and one draw is a stark contrast to their displays at home. If they could get even half the points available, the Bees would be sitting comfortably in the top four.

This is the same blemish that has been a good start to the season for Frank and his team.

Their next chance to deal with these problems? An away trip to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, live on Sky Sports.