Keith Andrews has already been named among the Premier League’s manager of the season contenders, and Brentford’s push towards Europe makes the case difficult to dismiss.
Keith Andrews should be part of the Premier League manager of the season conversation, and the case starts with what he inherited.
When Brentford appointed him in June 2025, they were not simply replacing Thomas Frank. They were also trying to absorb the loss of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and captain Christian Norgaard in the same summer. It is a huge reset for any club, let alone one moving from a long-serving manager to a first-time head coach. Brentford’s own announcement confirmed Andrews was stepping into the role after Frank’s departure, with many speculating this was the season that Brentford could go down.
Ahead of the season it looked to be more like a year for stabilising and avoiding that drop-off. Instead, Brentford have gone into the run-in seventh on 46 points from 31 games, level with Everton and still close enough to the European places for the race to feel real. That is what turns Andrews from an interesting story into a serious candidate.
There is substance behind it too. Brentford have not reached this point on the back of one eye-catching result or a brief purple patch. They have stayed competitive across the season and taken that into the run-in, which is a stronger measure of Andrews’ work than any single win. To have Brentford seventh with seven games left, after everything the club lost last summer, is achievement enough on its own.
That is why Andrews’ case should not be judged only against title-winning managers. Awards like this are also about expectation, difficulty and overachievement. Brentford were widely viewed as vulnerable going into the season because of the scale of the summer change. Instead, they have stayed upward-looking, remained in the mix for Europe and done it under a manager learning the role in real time. The challenge was significant. The return has been better than most would have predicted.
There is also the trust factor. Brentford did not wait until the season ended to show their faith. In February, they gave Andrews a new contract running through to 2032. Clubs do not make that sort of commitment in the middle of a campaign unless they are convinced the direction is right.
Whether he wins the award will depend on how Brentford finish. That is inevitable. But the broader point already stands. Taking over after Frank was hard enough. Doing so after losing Mbeumo, Wissa and Norgaard as well should have made this season even tougher. Andrews has still kept Brentford competitive, relevant and ambitious. On that evidence, he belongs in the debate.