Director of football Phil Giles believes Brentford have emerged from the summer transfer window with a stronger squad after retaining the core of Keith Andrews’ group and adding five new first-team signings.

Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony, Callum Wilson, Mamadou Sangaré and El Hadji Malick Diouf arrived during the window, with all but Diouf joining before the start of the Premier League season.

Following a summer of significant change in 2025, continuity and targeted additions were central to the club’s approach this time around.

“Last summer, we sold more than we bought,” Giles explained. “The aim this year was to keep the squad together, build on Keith’s first season and add some extra quality. I think we did that.

“Every summer, you need to add some freshness. It makes us less predictable for the opposition and creates competition for places.”

Combined with the relationships already established within the squad, Giles thinks that has helped the Bees make a positive start.

“I’m very pleased,” he continued. “They’re all coming in to compete for a first-team place.

“There’s always a balance between players who are ready now and development projects. These players were more or less ready to go from day one, which is great.

“By keeping what we had together and adding them, I think the squad looks really strong.

“The players who were here last year know each other, know the coaching staff and understand the style of play.

“They’ve already built relationships on the pitch, so we weren’t starting from scratch with a lot of new players.

“We’ve dropped a few additions into a group who already knew what they were doing.

“In theory, that should allow you to make a good start in the league, and I think we’ve done that. We’ve played really well during the first couple of games, so it’s been positive so far.”

Giles admitted that the level of spending across the wider transfer market exceeded his expectations.

“At the start of the summer, after a lot of spending last year, I thought it might be quieter and perhaps there wouldn’t be as much money floating around – but I was completely wrong!” he said.

“It’s been interesting. There’s been a lot of money spent.

“We’ve invested a significant amount by our standards, but when you compare that with clubs spending £70 million, £80 million or even £120 million, we’re obviously not in that ballpark.

“To be able to compete with those clubs without spending that sort of money is testament to our scouts and recruitment team, who continue to find players capable of helping us.

“I want to give all the staff credit – not only for identifying and signing players, but for integrating and developing them.

“We’ve got a really good squad and, in today’s market, a valuable one. We’re in a strong place as a football club.”

Having finished in the Premier League’s top half in three of the last four seasons, Giles wants Brentford to continue progressing without placing limits on what the team can achieve.

“The target in any season is to keep improving – that’s always the baseline,” he concluded.

“We’ve finished in the top half of the Premier League in three of the last four seasons.

“Getting better would mean finishing in the top half again, and you’d hope that one day that will lead to European qualification.

“The trick is to keep getting better and not worry too much about where that might take you.

“We don’t yet know how good the other teams are. If they’re all brilliant, it becomes harder for us! We’ll let everything settle down and see.

“Let’s keep being us, let’s keep trying to improve, and we’ll see where we land.”