Brentford

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Brentford striker Callum Wilson says the club's pre-season training camp in Portugal has allowed him to get to know his new team-mates "on a more personal level", as head coach Keith Andrews steps up his preparations for the new campaign.

Wilson signed a 12-month contract to join the Bees in July, after leaving West Ham United as a free agent following the club's relegation to the Championship.

The forward will provide competition for Brazil international Igor Thiago, who scored 25 goals across 40 appearances in all competitions last season.

"It has been a really good and really positive camp," Wilson said. "Obviously it was hard, that's what the emphasis is.

"It has also been really good to get to know my new team-mates on a more personal level because we've been with each other day-in, day-out.

"I knew what to expect in terms of intensity, as I know what type of boss Keith Andrews is. It has been a camp of hard work and it is one I've really enjoyed. It is definitely going to stand us in good stead."

When asked what has stood out to him most since arriving at Gtech Community Stadium, Wilson highlighted the "quality" of his team-mates.

"I've enjoyed the honesty of the group in terms of how close everybody is, the culture and the environment," he added. "You never really know what a football club is like on the inside until you actually get inside it.

"Having been amongst the lads now, this is such a great group. Everyone has been so welcoming so all of us new lads have settled in really well. I feel like we've been welcomed in with open arms."

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

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The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

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We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Brentford to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Rob: I thought we were lacking in effective firepower up front last season. Callum Wilson is a good addition, albeit a bit of a sticking plaster. Will Lankshear would be a great addition and in the mould of our better recruiting model. For me, Dango Outtara has been a disappointment and I can't see him being any better this season. I hope I am wrong, but I would like to see us get as much money back as we can - but can't see it.

Nick: I think it is time for Kevin Schade to be cashed in on. On his day, he can be brilliant, but as seen in the second half of last season, he was pretty anonymous and, watching him live, he seemed to have a bit of a poor attitude by not appearing to give his all for the team. He is amazing in the air and is one of the quickest in the Premier League, but unless the summer gives him a wake-up call then maybe it's time to cash in on him. I would love to see Daizen Maeda of Celtic if Ipswich don't beat us to him. His work-rate epitomises what Brentford are about and he would be a great asset! Otherwise, and I may be dreaming a bit here, Martin Hjumland would add some steel to the midfield and is a potential future captain! If not, I guess we can make do with Mo Salah, who I hear is after a new club!!

Jake: I expect bringing in Schuster at centre-back will mean Pinnock or Ajer leaves this summer. Full-back always seems to be a position in which we have little like-for-like cover. Signing a full-back would provide cover and allow for Lewis-Potter to fill the gap vacated by Donovan next season. Seeing Milambo and Carvalho back in training boosts the squad in midfield also.

Ethan: I think it's time for Ethan Pinnock to go as he could easily play for a good Championship team. I think we should try to add Kaishu Sano to our ranks as he is a great defensive midfielder.

Andre: We should definitely sell Schade because he is not performing for his salary and his skill. For his replacement, we should transfer in Pape Matar Sarr from Tottenham because he is an amazing midfielder with plenty of Premier League and international experience for a bargain.

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Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.

When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".

Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.

This summer alone Chelsea have agreed a club record £117m deal for Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham spent a club record £100m on Sandro Tonali.

These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.

During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.

So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?

Read more here on the big spending taking place in the Premier League

With the 2026 World Cup done and dusted, the return of club football is back on everyone's minds.

Pre-season preparations are under way and we want you to have a think about Brentford's squad.

Tell us one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want the Bees to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Get in touch with your picks here

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With pre-season officially in full swing, we asked you to tell us what you're looking forward to about club football returning.

Here are a couple of your replies:

Jake: Under Thomas Frank, we saw noticeable improvements to our style of play every season, so I'm interested to see how Keith Andrews evolves the team. I'm also looking forward to seeing Antoni Milambo and Fabio Carvalho play because, in the case of Milambo, he is a dribbler who plays centrally and we don't really have another player like that.

Jason: This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'd like to see hydration breaks adopted here in the UK. I think they break up the game nicely and there is scope for extra coaching during them too.

The World Cup is doing a fantastic job of filling the Premier League void, but there is nothing quite like club football.

As the tournament in North America heads towards its climax, there is a Brentford fanbase waiting for the 2026-27 season with anticipation.

So, it has got us thinking: what are you looking forward to most about club football resuming?

Get in touch here

Image source, Brentford FC

Brentford have revealed their new home kit for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, which reaffirms the club's "commitment to affordability and sustainability".

The shirt design combines the Bees' iconic red and white stripes with bold "honey yellow details" on the collar, cuffs, side panels, crest and partner logos.

In addition, the "beehive detailing" found on the back of the neck takes inspiration from the club's old quadrant crest.

Black shorts and 1889-branded socks with matching honey yellow detailing complete the refreshed home kit.

When the World Cup ends, regardless of who wins, we'll still have loads of great content every day as we build up to the new Premier League season.

We're already working on some exciting new things for 2026-27.

As well as all the fallout and reaction to the tournament, we'll quickly shift back towards club football, with pre-season coverage and all the latest transfer gossip and stories.

BBC Sport and teams across BBC Nations and Regions cover all 20 Premier League sides and we have dedicated club reporters, who will be travelling to bring you behind-the-scenes insights from pre-season tours.

We'll also have live pages for selected pre-season matches, as well as in-depth features and storytelling, giving you the latest updates before the new campaign.

Once the World Cup ends, some of the standout players will be hot property in the transfer market, with top clubs chasing their signatures.

Our reporters, including senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, will be breaking the big transfer stories on our website and app.

We'll also have our daily transfer gossip column, wrapping up all the rumours from across the football world.

For fans of World Cup Predictor, a new weekly game will be launching immediately after the tournament, with five fixtures a week to predict the outcomes of. You'll be able to build up your streaks and share your results with friends and family.

Our quizzes will also continue to be available to play so you can test your knowledge of the beautiful game.

Our new Shorts tab in the BBC Sport app will be the home of sport videos with content throughout the week from your club, including explainers, pundit analysis, interviews and behind-the-scenes content. We'll also be starting to include more reaction from fans so you can see the latest hot takes and debate the biggest talking points from your club.

Live pages are going to get bigger and better with more interactive elements, more conversation and improved functionality. They'll have BBC Radio 5 Live audio commentaries for the Premier League and Champions League, as well as live video for FA Cup.

Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.

Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.

And when following your Premier League team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications, which give you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.

Read more about what content you can expect here

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We asked for your views on which players you're most excited to see in action during pre-season.

Here are some of your comments:

Ian: I would like to see Josh Dasilva to see how his continued rehab has progressed throughout the summer. Also, new signings Jaidon Anthony and Jannik Schuster, who has had favourable comments since joining the Bees.

Coral: Anthony is a shrewd piece of business who showed his ability in a poor Burnley side last season and Callum Wilson is a proven scorer in the Premier League. Schuster will prove healthy competition at the back and I hope to see Kaye Furo and Gustavo Nunes have more game time. Hope Jordan Henderson is fit to start the season.

Ethan: I'm really looking forward to watching Anthony, Schuster and Wilson play as they are all new signings. I'm also looking forward to seeing Antoni Milambo because we haven't seen much of him yet.

Pre-season is just around the corner and the Premier League returns in less than 50 days.

Here is Brentford's pre-season schedule - with kick-off times in BST.

• 8 August v Rennes (A) - 17:00 (also a behind closed doors game at 11:00)

• 15 August v Eintracht Frankfurt (H) - 15:00

Before these two matches, the Bees are also spending time in Portugal as part of a training camp, but no fixtures are planned.

Which players, including young prospects from the academy, are you most looking forward to seeing in action?

Let us know here

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Plenty of players have made names for themselves at this World Cup, from goalkeepers like Cape Verde's Vozinha and Paraguay's Orlando Gill to New Zealand midfielder Elijah Just.

But though they might not have been familiar to fans, the extent of modern scouting means clubs all over the world will already have known about many of them – so how have their heroics at the tournament affected their standing in the game, and their value in the transfer market?

More than the Score's Mani Djazmi is joined Ben Littlemore from Transfermarkt, one of the world's foremost football databases. Lutz Pfannenstiel, sporting director at Aberdeen, also shares his footballing knowledge in today's episode.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Brentford and Tottenham are interested in Guinea defensive midfielder Ousmane Diabate, 18, and believe they could sign him from Turkish club Genclerbirligi for about £3m plus bonuses. (Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Callum Wilson says Brentford boss Keith Andrews expressing his "ambition" during a "good conversation" played a key role in him making the move to the Bees.

The 34-year-old striker has joined on a free transfer following his departure from relegated West Ham, signing a one-year deal.

"It's nice, it's amazing, I'm grateful for the opportunity," Wilson told club media on his decision to move from east to west London.

"He [Andrews] told me about his ambition for the club and what his ambitions and desires are, and I felt like I could add quality to that.

"Having watched and played against Brentford many times, I liked the feel and togetherness of the squad."

Wilson scored seven goals and registered one assist in 35 appearances last term, but his ability to impact games was clear with just 12 of them starts.

And he believes he can complement Brentford's number nine, Igor Thiago, who scored an outstanding 20 Premier League goals in 2025-26.

"Many people in my position as a striker, off the back of Thiago having a fantastic season, would probably shy away from the challenge of joining the club.

"For me, it's about coming and sharing the load, helping out as a striking department and also adding my qualities. We're different strikers, but sometimes I'm guessing we'll play together.

"I'm here to push and compete. It's not 'you and me', it's togetherness, and there are other strikers in the building as well. If we all perform and push each other, we can help the team push forward, and that's the key."

During spells with Bournemouth, Newcastle and most recently the Hammers, Wilson has scored 95 Premier League goals.

"He's just got that nous to score goals, as well as that experience around the training ground. This is another really good signing for us," said Andrews.

Jordan Henderson has had surgery after breaking his arm during the celebrations of England's win over Mexico on Sunday.

The Brentford midfielder suffered the freak injury as he fell awkwardly after attempting to jump over the advertising hoardings at the side of the pitch.

Henderson, who did not play during the match, was carried on a stretcher away from the pitch while receiving oxygen.

But now Henderson has posted on social media, external to say that he has had surgery in Kansas City, where England's basecamp is for the duration of the World Cup.

"Surgery done! Let's get ready for the big one Saturday". The midfielder posted on Instagram.

"Thank you to all the staff that looked after me at Kansas city orthopaedic institute. Especially the three surgeons who carried out the operation."

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Brentford forward Romelle Donovan is set for a season-long loan spell at Sheffield United.

The 19-year-old is widely regarded as among the stars of the Bees academy having excelled in key Brentford B games and earned nine first-team appearances last season.

He is now expected to join a Blades team with Chris Wilder back in charge and as their first signing of the summer, despite other interest within the Championship and in Europe.

A number of players have left the Bramall Lane club, including Alex Matos joining Goztepe on loan and Andre Brooks moving to Norwich City, and Danny Ings and Jairo Riedewald being released.

Alongside that, defender Ben Mee has retired from football.

Donovan is an England Under-20 international who was signed by Brentford from Birmingham City in 2025 after an initial loan spell.

He also spent time on loan at Burton Albion while at Birmingham.

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Jaidon Anthony says joining Brentford is an opportunity to "step up" and show his "ability at this level".

The attacker has signed a four-year deal at the Gtec, with a club option of a further year.

Speaking about boss Keith Andrews, Anthony told club media: "I like the way he speaks and the way he wants to play football. From the first conversation we had, I knew I wanted to play here.

"It's also the direction the club wants to go in as well. It's obviously been a positive few years for Brentford and hopefully we can keep building on that. It's an opportunity for me to step up and show my ability at this level.

"I will always give 100 per cent for the badge and try to represent them and the club in the best way possible. Hopefully, I can also excite you and get you off your seats as well."

Head Coach Andrews added: "We've been aware of Jaidon's journey for a long, long time and have always admired him from afar.

"He did really well last season, which is difficult in a team that got relegated.

"After meeting him, it became very evident that he'd fit into the culture of the club and add to the squad."

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

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Brentford are set to sign former England striker Callum Wilson on an initial 12-month contract.

The 34-year-old forward, who left West Ham at the end of last season, is in advanced talks with the west London club, with the deal expected to be completed this week.

Wilson is a free agent following his departure from the London Stadium after the club's relegation from the Premier League.

He would provide competition for Brazil international Igor Thiago, who is not for sale at any price despite reports this summer suggesting offers of £80m or £90m could tempt Brentford.

• Read more on the deal