After a season of regression and with Ivan Toney on his way in the summer, the outlook for Brentford might be challenging.
But striker Yoane Wissa is confident the Bees will bounce back from a difficult campaign and cope without Toney’s goals.
The goalscoring burden next season will fall on Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and incoming £30million signing Thiago, a Brazilian forward who will join from Club Brugge on July 1.
“Everyone is prepared for that,” Wissa tells Standard Sport. “It’s football life. Ivan is not immortal. We need to change at some point and [Thiago] will bring the team higher. Brentford don’t spend money for nothing, it’s been four years we’ve been working together.”
It’s his last season, hopefully, if everything goes well ... Thomas [Frank] wants to keep him
Asked what Brentford can achieve in the coming years, Wissa says: “I think we can get into Europe - easily. And we will. For me, we will.”
It has been a difficult season for Brentford, who were in danger of being dragged into relegation trouble until back-to-back wins against Sheffield United and Luton last month.
Sitting 10 points above the bottom three and safe from relegation, Brentford can start planning for a fourth season in the Premier League ahead of their final three games against Fulham, Bournemouth and Newcastle.
Some have argued survival is a greater achievement than finishing ninth last season, given the added challenges of Toney’s absence for half the season and their injuries woes.
The Bees have launched an internal review of their medical department after an unprecedented number of serious injuries.
“No, it’s not impressive,” argues Wissa. “We knew we were going to be safe. Now we need to look at what the problems [were] and what we could do better.”
Have Brentford gone backwards this season? “I’m not willing to say that,” says Wissa. “It’s not backwards, because we are still in the Premier League.
“The main [aim] of Brentford is not to win the Champions League. Of course, we could have done much better, but Brentford are Brentford, they are not Chelsea.”
Wissa has enjoyed a good season in front of goal, his 10 goals his best Premier League tally.
But he says: “From a Brentford perspective, I would say this season has been five out of 10.
“We’ve managed to [secure] safety, that’s the main thing. We’ve been unlucky with injuries. The injuries were to important players, that’s why it’s made a big difference.
“You always expect some players to miss some games, but not every [week]. The line-up has changed almost every game. No consistency. So that’s part of it.”
One clear area Brentford must improve is holding onto leads.
After dropping just 15 points from winning positions last season, the Bees have surrendered 30 this season - a Premier League high.
“Against Manchester United, for instance, we were winning 1-0 and then conceded two goals after 90 and 92 minutes,” Wissa recalls of October’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
“Or the game against [Aston] Villa, when we were leading 3-2. If we were stronger and confident, we would win easily. That’s been Brentford’s year. There were a lot of games like this.
“We can’t say it’s always bad luck, because when something happens every week, it can’t just be bad luck. We are quite a strange team. We can create a lot of chances for four games and then create nothing.”
Wissa’s crowning moment this season was his bicycle kick in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea in March.
The DR Congo international had only recently returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, during which time he “regained a lot of confidence.”
A summer of change is on the horizon at Brentford, with Toney expected to leave amid interest from a host of top clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea.
Wissa says of Toney: “I always joke: ‘Ah, you want to go, do you, yes?’
“It’s his last season, hopefully, if everything goes well. I always want people to be happy. After his ban, everyone wants him to be happy. Thomas [Frank, manager] wants to keep him. Hopefully he will leave on a high.”
