Thomas Frank reveals losing Bryan Mbeumo to injury last season was a ‘bigger hit’ to his

Thomas Frank has been Brentford’s manager long enough to understand that losing star players is part of the job.

First came Ollie Watkins, whose achievements in the Championship led Aston Villa to spend £33 million on the attacker in 2020.

A year later, Said Benrahma moved from west London to the East End to join West Ham. Then, this summer, Ivan Toney departed for Saudi Arabia. Brentford is expected to rebound stronger following Toney’s departure, according to historical data.

Bryan Mbeumo will be crucial if they are to improve on their 16th-place position last season, which was by far their worst since promotion in 2021.

Frank would blame their slump on an injury crisis and the fact that he was missing Toney, who was serving a ban for breaking betting regulations, and later Mbeumo, whose ankle ailment sidelined him for three months beginning in December.

Frank believes Mbeumo’s absence, rather than Toney’s, impacted his team more.