Why haven’t Brentford’s big signings worked and will Fabio Carvalho be different?

Brentford’s finished 16th in the Premier League last season, their lowest finish in the top flight

Fabio Carvalho has signed for Brentford after completing his move away from Liverpool but how will he impact the team? (PA)

Brentford have smashed their transfer record twice this summer, following the big money captures of Fabio Carvalho and Igor Thiago, spending more than £60m so far.

Is this just a sign of the times, or an indication that manager Thomas Frank has moved away from the transfer policy that has bought him success so far?

The bulk of the Bees squad was assembled for a fraction of the money spent this summer, with many remaining from the side that came up from the Championship back in 2021.

When you think of Brentford the names that spring to mind are mainstays such as Vitaly Janelt, Christian Norgaard, Bryan Mbuemo, Ethan Pinnock, Pontus Jansson, Mathias Jensen and Ivan Toney. This is not just because they have been at the club for so long, but also because they are the first names on the team sheet week in week out.

The most expensive signing on that list is Mbuemo who cost £5.8m in 2019, while the initial outlay for Toney was just £5m when they signed him from Peterborough in 2020.

Whether the England striker will still be a Bees player when the transfer window closes, at the end of the month, remains to be seen, but the club have been spending regardless.

The injury to Thiago, which will keep him out until “late 2024 after successful surgery on a meniscus injury” could influence any decision on Toney, as Frank will not want to leave his side short in attack.

Brentford have set a price of £60m for Ivan Toney who may leave in this window. (Action Images via Reuters)

A big transfer fee brings with it its own pressure, and even more so in a squad which has prided itself on value for money and unearthing gems. Nathan Collins, Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter were the three previous big-money signings and the latter two are yet to show the form that earned them £22m and £16m moves respectively.

After a loan spell from Freiburg, Schade joined permanently on a five-year contract for a club-record fee of around £22m. In late September, the winger suffered an adductor injury which required surgery, keeping him out until April.

Lewis-Potter joined from Hull in July 2022 but has so far managed just three goals in 40 Premier League appearances, so it’s no surprise the club have spent big on attacking players, although with Carvalho it is largely potential rather than proven goals.

The 21-year-old was highly rated at Liverpool, but never really got the chance he needed to progress, spending the first part of last season on loan with RP Leipzig and the second half at Hull City. He started 20 games in the Championship, scoring nine goals so he will be hoping he can show that form for his new club.

With the injury to Thiago, Carvalho will likely get opportunities from the start of the season and if anyone can turn potential into reality it’s the Brentford boss.

Frank described the Portuguese youngster as a "a player with a lot of qualities" and added: "Offensively, he has great abilities on the ball; he can go past players, slide a pass, create chances and get on the end of chances.

"He’s a type of player that we don’t have many of in the squad so he will add that something extra for us.

"His ability and mentality to work hard in the pressure is also very, very good. That’s along with him ticking all the boxes from a cultural perspective and being the right character. So we’re very pleased to see him come in and push the team forward.”

Brentford get their Premier League season underway at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.