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Can Brentford make the Premier League?

Brentford are currently fifth in the Championship. Next season they leave the atmospheric but dated Griffin Park for a new 17,250 capacity stadium just a mile away. It has been squeezed into a very cramped site, reflecting the advances that have been made in construction techniques, particularly in the use of cranes.

It would not be harsh to say that Brentford have not been one of London's fashionable clubs, although I remember seeing them play in the pre-war movie The Arsenal Stadium Mystery. But they have modernised themselves impressively and have developed a very clever recruitment strategy based on buying low and selling high.

Every year, to cover losses, Brentford sell at least one of their best players, but have still managed to secure five consecutive top half finishes. They have earned more than £120m from player sales since 2014. For example, Ezri Konsa was bought from Charlton Athletic for £2.5m. Then owner Roland Duchatelet was always willing to sell a promising player to reduce his losses. Konsa was sold on to Aston Villa for £12m.

Brentford were a pioneer club in terms of using data to drive recruitment and still have a large recruitment department. They have been at the forefront of innovations such as hiring a set piece coach and a sleep coach. More controversially, they axed their youth system in favour of a B-team in 2016. Four years later 16 B-team graduates have made appearances in the first team.

Brentford's commercial income stood at £2.1 million in the 2017/18 season, up from £1 million in 2014. There is clearly scope to grow it and Tela Technology became an official telecommunications partner this week.

The Premier League might still be a stretch too far for the Bees, although even one year there would boost their finances.

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