Phil Giles on summer transfer window: New arrivals crucial for club’s long-term health

Brentford director of football Phil Giles has reflected on the club’s dealings during the summer transfer window.

Thomas Frank's first-team squad has been bolstered by the arrivals of Igor Thiago (23), Fábio Carvalho (21), Sepp van den Berg (22), Gustavo Nunes (18) and Jayden Meghoma (18).

Giles stated that he is happy with the west Londoners’ recruitment, highlighting the players’ age profile and potential, and shared his thoughts on striker Ivan Toney’s move to Al-Ahli.

“The squad looks good,” said Giles.

“We’ve invested in young players, now it’s about giving them an opportunity to step forward to develop.

“It’s quite a young squad now with Jayden, Gustavo and Fábio – I could name a few.

“So, it’s not all about going out and buying a load more players in January or next summer. How do we develop these players and how can they take us to the next level?”

Giles added: “I’m really happy with what we did. It’s crucial not necessarily for today or tomorrow, but for the long-term health of the club.

“We have to invest in top young players; we’ve been doing that for a long time now.”

Ivan Toney joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli on Deadline Day.

Toney scored 72 goals in 141 appearances, playing a key role in the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League in 2020/21 and the three top-flight seasons that followed, and has been labelled a “Brentford legend” by Thomas Frank.

“Thomas has said everything there is to say about Ivan in terms of his performances,” said Giles.

“Everyone expected that there would be interest in Ivan. There could have potentially been more interest in him, as it happened.

“There was strong interest from Al-Ahli and clearly a desire from us to get a deal done.

“They wanted to buy him, and we were open to selling him, so the process came down to agreeing a valuation, which took time.

“It went late into the window. It’s always a bit tricky when the season starts, but I think Thomas managed it well.

“We were really happy to get that done. Ivan’s done a great job for us, and he moves on to the next phase of his career.

“It was a good end to the window, from my point of view.”

Toney wasn’t the only player to depart the club on 30 August.

Midfielders Myles Peart-Harris and Frank Onyeka will spend the 2024/25 season on loan with Swansea City and Augsburg, respectively.

“Myles did well at Forest Green and stepped up to Portsmouth. Now he’s stepped up again,” said Giles.

“At this stage of his career, being on the bench or the fringes for us is not what he needed. We’ll see how he gets on.

“Frank is a different case. He’s played a lot of minutes for us – he was on the pitch 26 times last season – so letting him go is a little bit of a risk without an obvious replacement.

“But I’m very confident that we have the players to step in and take those minutes and it’s important for them and their development.

“Frank wanted to start more games, so we agreed that it was the right thing to do.”

Onyeka is joined in the Bundesliga by Fin Stevens, who completed a permanent transfer to St Pauli in July.

Stevens signed for Brentford B as a 17-year-old, having spent the first part of his career in Arsenal’s Academy and at non-league side Worthing.

He progressed through the club’s system, earning a promotion to the first team in 2022, and made nine appearances for Frank's side, including one outing in the Premier League.

“I love when players come from fairly far down the pyramid, step up and progress and make an impact,” said Giles.

“It was looking difficult for him to get in our team, but to move on to the Bundesliga is just a great story, especially in terms of evolving our B team and developing players.

“It’s important to be able to move players on and bring a little bit of income to the club and show some progression.

“Ryan Trevitt is a similar example: non-league, B team and now he’s involved with the first team. It’s a fantastic story.

“Everyone loves the big signing and the money and all the rest of it, but those are the ones that give me most pleasure.”

Brentford first team, ins and outs summer 2024

In: Igor Thiago (Club Brugge), Fábio Carvalho (Liverpool), Sepp van den Berg (Liverpool), Gustavo Nunes (Grêmio), Jayden Meghoma (Southampton)

Out: David Raya (Arsenal), Saman Ghoddos, Charlie Goode (Stevenage), Shandon Baptiste (Luton Town), Ellery Balcombe (St Mirren, loan), Thomas Strakosha (AEK Athens), Fin Stevens (St Pauli), Ben Winterbottom (Fylde, loan), Zanka (Anderlecht), Myles Peart-Harris (Swansea City, loan), Frank Onyeka (Augsburg, loan), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)