Brentford's Summer Signings Graded After Unbeaten Premier League Start

Five Premier League games is far too early to decide whether Brentford got their summer business right, but it’s just enough time to have some early opinions.

Keith Andrews' side have reached the first international break unbeaten, taking nine points from their opening five league matches, and every one of the club's summer additions has now had some involvement.

Their starts have been very different. Mamadou Sangaré was thrown straight into midfield, Jannik Schuster has already been asked to cover for an injured Nathan Collins, and Jaidon Anthony has started three league games. Callum Wilson has done most of his damage in the cups, while El Hadji Malick Diouf arrived later and has barely had time to settle.

There isn't equal evidence on all five, but there is enough to start grading what Brentford have seen from their summer business so far.

There was nowhere for Sangaré to hide once Brentford made him their club-record signing and to be fair to him, he’s not looked particularly interested in hiding.

The midfielder has started four of the opening five league games, registered an assist on his debut against Tottenham and was nominated for the Premier League's August Player of the Month award after his first two appearances in the league. In those first two matches alone, the league credited him with 27 defensive contributions, including six tackles, five interceptions and 12 recoveries.

That defensive work has continued. Sangaré has made 14 tackles through five matches, joint-eighth among all Premier League players, despite playing only 323 minutes.

He has not dominated every game. Chelsea was his first league appearance from the bench and there have been periods when Brentford's midfield has worked better without him being its main influence.

That almost makes the start more encouraging. Sangaré has moved from Ligue 1 into a new team, immediately played significant minutes and already produced performances that stand up beyond Brentford.

A club-record signing eventually has to be judged against a higher bar. Five games in, he is comfortably clearing the first one.

Grade: A-

Schuster might be the most difficult one to grade, because the Bees probably did not expect to need this much from him this quickly.

He made his Premier League debut when Collins was injured against Sunderland, then started at Bournemouth and again in the 3-0 win over Chelsea.

Three appearances have been enough to put him fourth in the Premier League for total clearances.

Schuster has made 30, behind only John Egan, Kristoffer Ajer and Tarik Muharemovic, despite playing 253 minutes. His rate of 10.7 clearances per 90 is the second-highest in the division. He has also won nine of his 18 aerial duels and made five blocks.

Those numbers need some context. Lots of clearances can say something about how much defending a centre-back has been asked to do rather than automatically proving he has been brilliant.

But Schuster has done the defending.

Against Chelsea, he won three aerial duels, blocked three shots and provided the opening assist for Jaidon Anthony. Brentford kept a clean sheet and won 3-0.

At 20, after arriving from Salzburg, that is about as convincing a first Premier League start as Brentford could have asked for.

The sample is tiny. The impression is not.

Grade: A

Anthony has probably had the least spectacular start of the regulars, although that changes once the cup games are included.

He has appeared in all five Premier League matches, starting three, and his first league goal for Brentford came against Chelsea. Anthony also produced three assists in the 6-1 Carabao Cup win at Birmingham, meaning his contribution to the Bees' season has been considerably greater than one goal in 269 league minutes might suggest.

There is also a fairly simple reason why he has not been guaranteed a place.

Kevin Schade has three league goals already, Dango Ouattara remains involved, and Keane Lewis-Potter can and has played further forward. Anthony joined a squad with genuine competition in the wide positions rather than an empty shirt waiting for him.

He has still been involved every week.

The Chelsea goal helped too. Schuster headed the ball back across goal and Anthony reacted first, putting Brentford ahead in a game they eventually won comfortably.

He scored eight Premier League goals for Burnley last season, so Brentford know there can be more attacking output from him than they have seen in the league so far. The cup performances have already offered a glimpse.

Grade: B

Thirteen Premier League minutes make it a lot more difficult to judge for the 34-year-old.

Wilson has made three league appearances and all of them have been brief cameos from the bench. Igor Thiago has been Andrews' striker, and nothing about the opening five games suggests that hierarchy has suddenly changed.

The cup is where Wilson has made his case.

He scored at Birmingham and then did it again at Reading, opening the scoring after only three minutes in the third round. Brentford signed him on a free transfer after he scored seven Premier League goals for West Ham last season, largely from the bench, and the idea always looked fairly straightforward. An experienced striker who did not need to be promised 30 starts.

So far, that is exactly what he has been.

There isn't enough league football to give him a high grade, but two goals when trusted to start is hard to criticise.

Grade: B

There is no sensible grade for Diouf yet.

He joined on August 27 after the league season had already begun and has since played 39 Premier League minutes across two substitute appearances. His first Brentford start came in the Carabao Cup at Reading.

Brentford did not sign a complete unknown. Diouf started 30 Premier League games for West Ham last season and finished with five assists, having previously scored seven league goals from wing-back for Slavia Prague.

What he becomes at Brentford is another question.

Keane Lewis-Potter has started the season well at left-back, Rico Henry remains another option and Diouf arrived without needing to be thrown immediately into the side. That has left him watching considerably more than playing.

Thirty-nine minutes tells us almost nothing.

So, for once, the fairest opinion is not to have much of one yet.

Grade: N/A

Five signings, and Brentford are already getting very different things from them.

Sangaré has gone straight into the midfield. Schuster was supposed to have more time and has instead produced one of the more eye-catching statistical starts among Premier League defenders. Anthony has contributed in both competitions, while Wilson has done almost all of his work away from the league.

After five unbeaten league games, though, Brentford already have two summer arrivals who look considerably further along than might reasonably have been expected at this stage of the season.