Keith Andrews’ Brentford unveiling comes with sting in tail as Bryan Mbeumo to lead exodus

Keith Andrews was officially unveiled as Brentford head coach yesterday, but the scale of his task at hand for the former Ireland international is only growing with the club revealing that they expect more senior players to depart.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles said the captain Christian Norgaard is “more likely than not” to leave the club this summer while leading scorer Bryan Mbeumo has been the subject of several bids from Manchester United and is also like to depart.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has already signed for Bayer Leverkusen though Ireland No 1 Caoimhín Kelleher has arrived from Liverpool, while Michael Kayode has made his loan from Fiorentina permanent.

Andrews is also still finalising his backroom team, with Giles saying he hopes to have two new members of his staff in place this week. There are currently four vacant backroom roles following the departure of long-serving head coach Thomas Frank to Tottenham.

However, Andrews spoke with a quiet confidence and said that while he perhaps didn’t expect a Premier League job to come along so quickly, he’d been preparing to be a head coach for a number of years.

“Two or three years ago, I knew I was ready to be a head coach. Would I have foreseen it being this role at this level? Probably not, realistically,” Andrews said at the Gtech Community Stadium. “But the path I’ve taken has been very deliberate to get to this stage.”

Andrews believes Christian Norgaard’s contribution at Brentford will be “hard to emulate” after director of football Phil Giles said the captain is “more likely than not” to leave the club this summer.

Skipper Norgaard is expected to depart the Bees this summer, with Arsenal reportedly agreeing a deal to sign the 31-year-old Denmark midfielder.

In addition to potentially losing Norgaard, goalkeeper Mark Flekken has signed for Bayer Leverkusen and leading scorer Bryan Mbeumo has been the subject of several bids from Manchester United.

The Bees still have two months until the September 1 deadline to get deals over the line but will need to look further afield than keeper Caoimhin Kelleher and Michael Kayode, who has made his loan from Fiorentina permanent.

“I think it’s more likely than not,” Giles said of Norgaard’s possible departure at the unveiling of Andrews as Brentford boss.

“If he ends up leaving then he goes to a club who have more opportunities than we do and he’s earned it because he’s been an unbelievable player for us.

“Nothing’s done as it stands but it’s a strong possibility.”

Andrews added: “Christian has been a really big player for this football club.

“I saw it last year from a set-piece capacity. He’s a top human being and it will be hard to emulate, but it gives opportunities to others.”

Andrews, who was a set-piece coach at Brentford, has taken over from Thomas Frank in what will be his first managerial role.

Frank ended his seven-year stint in west London to take charge of Tottenham following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou.

Despite being dealt a tricky start to the next Premier League season, with Brentford set to play Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United within their first seven games, Andrews stressed that his lack of experience will not guarantee extra patience from the club hierarchy.

Andrews said: “(I’ve been given) no assurances, I think the reality is that it’s a football club that has been built in a certain way and we have ways to do things which aren’t the norm.

“The support Thomas had throughout his tenure was impeccable, the relations he built were very connected and aligned and I don’t see that being any different.”

Mbeumo is also likely to leave the club this summer, with the 20-goal forward drawing repeated approaches from Manchester United.

“He had a fantastic season,” Giles told the BBC. “We expected big interest in him, we have had big interest in him.

“He has his ideas about where he wants to take his career. He is well within his rights to do that.

“It is not impossible he is still a Brentford player next season if we agree he is going to stay.”

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