Brentford's Director of Football has praised the club's recruitment team after another summer of heavy Premier League spending.
Phil Giles believes Brentford can continue competing in the Premier League without entering the market for £70 million and £80 million players.
The Bees spent heavily by their own standards this summer, adding five senior players to Keith Andrews' squad. Mamadou Sangaré arrived from Lens for a club-record fee, while El Hadji Malick Diouf was another major investment late in the window.
Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson completed the five additions.
Even after that business, Brentford's Director of Football knows the club are operating at a different financial level to a number of their Premier League rivals.
Giles had expected spending across the division to slow after an expensive 2025 summer. Instead, he watched another window in which substantial fees were paid across the league.
“We've spent quite a lot of money for us, I think, but when you compare us paying 30 something million compared to 70 or 80 or even 20 or whatever it is million, you know, we're obviously not in that ballpark.” Giles said, speaking as part of an interview released by Brentford's media team.
The Bees have rarely tried to compete simply by matching the highest bidder.
Giles instead pointed towards the work done before and after a player is signed, with the recruitment department tasked with finding players who can operate at Premier League level without Brentford consistently paying the fees available to wealthier clubs.
“I think the ability to be able to compete with other clubs whilst not throwing that sort of money at it all the time is a big testament to our scouts and our recruitment team.”
He also credited the wider staff for integrating new signings and helping players improve once they arrive in West London.
That work has left Brentford with a squad Giles also considers valuable in the current market, rather than one built purely around short-term additions.
Brentford Wanted to Keep Their Squad Together
The approach this summer differed from the previous window.
Brentford had been net sellers in 2025. This time around, the strategy was different.
“The aim this summer was to more or less keep it together. Build on a second season and obviously under Keith and uh you know, his experience of the first year. Um and then add to the squad where we could with extra quality.”
Four of the five senior signings were completed before the Premier League season began.
That gave Andrews time to work with most of the new arrivals before competitive football started, while the majority of last season's squad already knew the coaching staff, playing principles and one another.
Giles also believes Brentford found the right balance between age and immediate usefulness.
Sangaré is 24, Diouf is 21 and Schuster only 19, but the club did not recruit them solely as longer-term projects. Anthony and Wilson arrived with extensive experience of English football.
“There's always a balance isn't there between players who are maybe ready ready now or or more more development projects. I think all of them are, you know, ready to go more or less um from day one, which is great.”
There were departures. Ethan Pinnock left after seven years to join Coventry City, while Frank Onyeka also moved to Coventry and Jordan Henderson departed after one season before signing for Chelsea.
Giles spoke particularly about Henderson and Pinnock during his review of the window.
Brentford had always understood Henderson's stay might be relatively short, while Pinnock entered the latter stages of his career having spent much of it with the club. With Giles explaining that both deals ultimately proved relatively straightforward once the players' situations became clear.
The window closed with Brentford having retained much of Andrews' group and added five players capable of competing for senior places..
“I think we've got a really, really good squad. Obviously, valuable by today's market as well. So, I think we're in a very, very strong place as a football club.”
Brentford have finished in the top half of the Premier League in each of the last four seasons, showing great consistency since their promotion from the Championship in 2021.
Giles did not set European qualification as an immediate requirement, particularly after another summer in which rivals have spent heavily, but acknowledged where further progress could eventually lead.
“Keeping getting better means you would hope that we'll finish in the top half and you would hope that one day maybe that'll lead to a European qualification.”
