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Since Brentford’s promotion from the Championship to the Premier League a couple of years ago, the Bees have quickly become a fan favorite with their impressive achievements.
Brentford’s intricate data-driven business model and affluent scouting network allowed the club to navigate the transfer market and discover affordable players that brought them success. Like Brighton, they have sold later for a higher transfer fee or provide remarkable value for money during their time at the club.
Over recent years, they have efficiently recruited players, translating into on-pitch success. However, the opening months of the current Premier League campaign suggest that Brentford might have committed a rare but costly error.
Goalkeeping mistakes are costing Brentford
After David Raya’s expensive transfer to Arsenal over the summer, all the talk around Brentford was about how they would replace their star goalkeeper. Their answer was Freiburg’s Mark Flekken, who joined the West London club for €13 million.
Although the Dutch goalkeeper had a fruitful 2022/23 season in Germany, he has not hit the same form at Brentford.
According to the ‘post-shot xG +/-‘ metric, which measures goalkeepers’ performance based on how many goals they “prevented”, Flekken ranks bottom in the Premier League, conceding seven goals more than expected.
Furthermore, there is a substantial gap between his numbers and the second-lowest performer, Sam Johnstone – separated by three goals.
Flekken’s jaded performances have seriously hurt Brentford’s league positioning this season.
As of the 21st match week, the club lies one place above the relegation zone in 17th. However, the expected points model, which calculates the approximate points a team should have accrued based on expected goals, places Brentford at ninth – making them the second-lowest underperformers in the league. They only stand above Everton, who had a 10-point deduction.
Although poor finishing by Brentford attackers has also contributed to this disparity, the substandard goalkeeping has been equally consequential.
Does the solution lie in the transfer market, or should Thomas Frank maintain faith?
Many factors can impact the performances of a newly signed player. Be it adapting to a different culture, pressure on delivering on the big stage, or any one of infinite reasons that fans may be unaware of.
Frank seems to have realized this and has affirmed his faith in Flekken by playing the goalkeeper despite the rough start.
Furthermore, the Brentford number one endured a testing five-year spell at Freiburg, where he had to develop his game to earn the starting spot in the team after being second-choice to Alexander Schwolow for numerous seasons.
That period showed Flekken’s resilience, which is being called upon again at the early stage of his Brentford career.
The West London club could throw money at the problem and hire a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window, but that is not how the club operates.
Each player’s purchase comes after substantial analysis and deliberation. Although every club is prone to make an error, it is too soon to conclude whether Brentford has in the case of Flekken.
The Dutchman would hope that the club allows him time and shows patience until the end of the season. However, it is difficult to tell whether he will have that liberty since the unforgiving nature of the Premier League could force Brentford to act in the January transfer window as they gravitate closer to the relegation zone.
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Chelsea man is disappointed by club’s way of dealing with players and wants out
According to one report today, a Chelsea player has become disappointed by the club’s way of dealing with players and wants out. It doesn’t sound like a very good situation for anyone involved with it to be in, and it could end up getting a bit more toxic too. There’s plenty of situations bubbling up still at Chelsea that involve the transfers of players either in or out of the club before we hit the end of the transfer window this month. One player that many Chelsea fans would like to see arrive at the club before then is a new goalkeeper. Even Troy Deeney can see that Robert Sanchez is going to be a liability for the club this season. And then we have the transfer sagas of Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho to sort out but to be honest at this point I think Chelsea fans are bored and fed up of hearing about these. The Athletic tried to explain this situation yesterday and thinks Garnahco is much more likely than Simons at this point. So, plenty going on, but there’s a tense situation we can now go back to… Chuckwuemeka not happy Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is apparently unhappy with Chelsea’s way of dealing with players right now as he await a transfer away from the club. Sport Bild in Germany are reporting that Chukwuemeka has told BVB Dortmund bosses that he’s desperate to stay at the club. And in the talks, he also indicated that he was disappointed by Chelsea’s way of dealing with players – and therefore no longer wants to play for the “Blues.” Sad ending I rated this signing massively and it’s a very sad ending to see them treating him like this. Sigh.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders could be losing valuable opportunity after injury update
Just when it seemed everything was going right for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback caught an unlucky break on Wednesday. The 23-year-old QB was sidelined during Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering an oblique injury. Per Kelsey Russo of the team website, the 2025 fifth-round pick won't practice Thursday and is considered day-to-day. He is deemed unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Before Wednesday's practice, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will start against Philadelphia as long as he's healthy enough to play. The 2025 third-rounder missed Cleveland's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers because of a hamstring issue. However, Stefanski previously said Sanders would get more reps this week after a solid preseason debut. The former Colorado Buffaloes star received the start in the 30-10 win over Carolina, going 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdown passes. Not playing against Philadelphia could disrupt Sanders' momentum. More importantly, it may eliminate another opportunity for him to overtake Gabriel in Cleveland's four-way QB competition. Sanders is listed as the Browns QB4 behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the team's unofficial depth chart. Despite questions about Gabriel's size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), the coaching staff seems to favor him over Sanders. Earlier this offseason, Gabriel's processing speed reportedly impressed Browns coaches, giving him an edge over Sanders. The former Oregon Ducks star also received reps with the first-team offense during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, while his fellow rookie didn't. If Gabriel plays well against the Eagles, that would continue to affirm the coaching staff's confidence in the 24-year-old QB. Neither Sanders nor Gabriel is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns. It's likely going to be Flacco, who helped Cleveland make the playoffs in 2023 when he went 4-1 during a late-season stretch. Still, another solid preseason showing could help Sanders position himself to replace 40-year-old Flacco in the future. With the setback, it may take more time to climb the depth chart.
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there’s doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
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