Brentford

Brentford have won promotion to the Premier League for the first time and will become the 50th club to play Premier League football when they kick off the 2021/22 season. The last time Brentford were in the top division of English football was way back in 1946/47 so it has been a long wait. The Bees have only ever played five seasons in English football's top flight.

The Club

The Bees

• Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium 
• Stadium Capacity: 17,250
• Location: West London
• Founded: 1889
• Nickname: The Bees
• Manager: Thomas Frank
• Kit: Red and white stripes, black shorts and black socks

Brentford was founded in 1899 and play their home games at the Gtech Community Stadium in West London. The stadium has a capacity of 17,250 and it opened in 2020 so just one season after its inauguration it became a Premier League ground. Brentford share the stadium with London Irish, a top division rugby union club. The current manager is the Dane, Thomas Frank, who has been at the club since 2018. Frank won promotion in the play-off final against Swansea City a year after being defeated by Fulham at the same stage. 

The Nickname

Brentford’s nickname is ‘The Bees’. This has been the club's nickname since the 1890s when a group of students started shouting "Come on you, Bs" in support of a friend who was playing for Brentford. However, a bee didn't appear on the club's badge until 1971.

The Rivals

Brentford’s strongest rivalries are with their local West London rivals, Fulham and Queen's Park Rangers. With both clubs now playing in the Championship Brentford's local rivals in the Premier League will be Chelsea. 

Players

Ones to Watch

Thomas Frank hasn't made many changes to the squad that won the play-off final last season but here are three players to watch out for in the Premier League this season:

Striker

Ivan Toney

Toney is Brentford's star striker and made a massive impact on the team when he joined the Bees at the start of the 20/21 season. Toney scored 31 goals - a Championship all-time record -  as well as scoring in the Play-Off Final against Swansea City. As well as winning the Championship's Golden Boot, Toney was named in the Championship's Team of the Season and awarded with Brentford's Player of the Season Award by the Brentford fans.

Midfielder

Frank Onyeka

The Nigerian international midfielder, Frank Onyeka became Brentford's first Premier League signing when he joined the club in July 2021. He joined from the Danish club FC Midtjylland, a club to which the Bees have strong links through their chairman. Onyeka is a box-to-box midfielder and has been one of the best midfielders in the Danish league in recent seasons.

Defender

Kristoffer Ajer

The Norwegian central defender is another recent recruit for Brentford's first season in the Premier League. The Bees bought Ajer from Celtic for an initial £13.5 million. Ajer has 23 international caps for Norway and is a defender who likes to move forward with the ball at his feet.