Director of Football Phil Giles spoke to us on Thursday evening, after the summer Transfer Window closed, to discuss the business done by the Club.

He joined us to go through the arrivals of several new First Team faces and some late outgoing transfers. Phil also gave us a glimpse behind the scenes at some of the deals done in July and August.

“Our strategy was the same as always really,” Phil told Stu Wakeford in the home dressing room of the Gtech Community Stadium. “Some of the signings that we made - Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mikkel Damsgaard in particular - are younger players. We always want to do that; we always want to add potential and create a place where they can develop a bit further. Partly because it's a good thing to do and partly because buying the finished article is always more expensive.

“So, when we start off, we always want to try and do that. Obviously, we added some more experience in there as well with Zanka, Ben Mee and Thomas Strakosha. I think it was a good balance that we got through the window.

“The target of buying young players and developing them has been set in stone for a long time,” Phil continued. “Going into a specific window, we have been planning this one since the end of last summer. Lewis-Potter was a target one year ago and we didn't get him. Then it’s about keeping an eye on him and monitoring his progress and all the rest of it.

“We’ll identify positional targets. I think the right-back situation was one where Sergi Canós, Mads Roerslev and Kris Ajer did a fantastic job last year. If it’s feasible, we would always identify that as an area to strengthen over the following summer. Not just positionally but also in terms of the squad’s overall pace and athleticism. Also, robustness to playing in the Premier League and our set-piece threat, all the different elements you want to look at. We planned that ages ago and the best ones always wind up being the ones you have had lined for a long time.”

Throughout the course of any transfer window, rumours and half-stories emerge about every top flight club. Christian Eriksen’s transfer saga was one that ran quite late into the summer and Phil explained how close we were to keeping the Danish midfielder.

“I think we were always realistic about our chances of getting him,” he said. “As the summer goes on, and you don’t hear anything, you just start thinking about your other targets.

“Different things can change your approach, for example this summer we had some injuries at centre-back that we needed to take into account. Zanka was training with us, always with a view to stay on, and we were very open with each other. We told him to stay here, train, get your rehab done – you’ll be doing that anyway – and get yourself back to fitness. We know the door is open, if you want to go to another club then we can’t stop that. Equally, we want to bring another player in and we got a good solution to that in the end.

“You try not to change too many plans through the window, in terms of what you need. Obviously, some players you target, and you miss out on, and some positional requirements come along. You really want to try and minimise that last-minute reaction to certain events in the summer.”

Less than a decade ago, Brentford’s size and stature in the English pyramid might have given Phil and his team a challenge in attracting new players. Now as a Premier League outfit, with a global audience, he admits that it has become easier.

“I think for a lot of players, we don't need to sell the Club anymore. I think they understand what we're trying to do, especially for players like Keane and Aaron, and Mikkel Damsgaard too, they understand completely what it’s about. We're going to play young players and they’ve got the opportunity to play at a really good level. We’ve been doing that for years. Some players are still with us, like Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva, but some have moved on and are doing really well for themselves.

“Internationally now, especially post-Eriksen, I think our brand is very well known. So, the selling process isn't too difficult. In terms of whispers of other clubs being involved, that’s just good old-fashioned research on our part really. What’s going on, who is involved, who might try to step ahead of us in the queue for a player and making sure we stay at the front.”

The summer period also saw outgoing transfers - permanent and loan deals. Phil explained how Marcus Forss’ switch to Middlesbrough went through several different variations before he completed his move to the North East.

“The initial thought with Marcus was to put him on loan. He had a loan at Hull last year that probably wasn’t the best loan for him, or for us, or probably for Hull. So, it wasn’t perfect. The initial thought was to find him a good place to go and play minutes and Middlesbrough came to the table. It became obvious that they would like to do it more long-term or permanently.

“We looked at it, he still had a long time left on his contract with us, and we asked ourselves if we wanted to go through the process of him having another bad loan. We didn’t want to go back to square one on that again, so there’s always a balance to be found there. We always say that if the finances are right, we’re open to doing a deal. That’s how he ended up moving permanently.

“With Dom Thompson, he had a year to go and I think he had a chance to switch it up and start somewhere fresh. The rest of our outgoings are all on loan - Mads Bech and Halil Dervisoglu went out on deadline day. We’ll see how they get on but I’m pretty happy with Mads Bidstrup, Daniel Oyegoke, Paris Maghoma and Nathan Young-Coombes. I think they’ve all started off really well, and so far, touch wood, it’s been a good process of getting the loans out.”