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What do Brentford need to do to ensure Premier League survival?

:Headline: What do Brentford need to do to ensure Premier League survival?:
Ivan Toney hit 31 goals for the Bees and they will be desperate to keep hold of him.
Sports Mole

Brentford secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time after Saturday's 2-0 play-off final victory over Swansea.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what the Bees need to do to prepare for life in the top flight.

Keep Toney

Ivan Toney was crucial to Brentford's promotion (Mike Egerton/PA)

Ivan Toney's record haul of 31 goals in the regular season – and two more in the play-offs – meant he was destined for the Premier League next season, with or without Brentford. The 25-year-old is on West Ham's radar, but the Bees are now in a strong position to keep hold of their star man, unlike previous seasons when they lost the likes of Neal Maupay, Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma to the top flight. Left-back Rico Henry, linked with Southampton, is another boss Thomas Frank will desperately want to keep.

Keep fit

Rico Henry made just one substitute appearance since February (Adam Davy/PA)

There is a feeling behind the scenes at Brentford that late-season injuries to Henry and powerhouse midfielder Josh Dasilva ultimately cost them automatic promotion. Captain Pontus Jansson and midfield pivot Christian Norgaard also missed large chunks of the campaign through injury. Keeping his main men fit will be crucial to Frank's fortunes next term.

Keep crunching the numbers

Brentford owner Matthew Benham, centre, is an innovative thinker (Mike Egerton/PA)

Anyone expecting Brentford to splash the cash after their £160million windfall will be sorely disappointed. Under Matthew Benham's ownership, Brentford have become a club synonymous with innovative thinking. The Bees have adopted a recruitment model which places its emphasis on statistical data, identifying undervalued players, often in unfashionable leagues across Europe, and improving them. The Premier League offers a different challenge off the field as well as on it, but their run to the Carabao Cup semi-final showed this squad can already handle themselves among the elite.

New additions?

Ethan Pinnock has impressed at the back (Barrington Coombs/PA)

If Frank wants to strengthen anywhere then centre-half might be the position. Ethan Pinnock looks ready-made for the Premier League but Jansson's injury issues means defensive reinforcements may be on the cards. Some back-up for Toney in attack would also be prudent.

Be Leeds, not Fulham

Brentford topped the goalscoring charts two seasons running with their possession-based, attacking style of play. It will be fascinating to see whether such tactics hold up in the top flight, or whether Frank will take a more pragmatic approach. We have seen Leeds largely flourish by sticking to their guns upon promotion, while Fulham fell upon their own sword.

Be humble

“I thought we were in lockdown but there were lots of voices in the stadium, which I found quite bizarre.”
- QPR boss Mark Warburton

While gaining plaudits for their football, Brentford have been guilty of winding up their opposition on occasions. Midfielder Emiliano Marcondes naively claimed Fulham feared them ahead of last year's play-off final, which the Cottagers won. Brentford's noisy off-field entourage during lockdown also irked a few clubs. But Frank was noticeably low-key during the build-up to this year's final, instead opting to heap praise on Swansea and their manager Steve Cooper. Clearly a lesson has been learnt.

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Read more about Ivan Toney Thomas Frank Matthew Benham Rico Henry Said Benrahma Ollie Watkins Neal Maupay Josh Dasilva Christian Norgaard Pontus Jansson Football
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
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