Keith Andrews: The Surprising Success of Brentford's Manager

Keith Andrews was supposed to be a stop-gap, a clever internal solution after Thomas Frank walked out for Tottenham. Instead, he has turned into one of the most compelling managerial stories in the Premier League.

This is a man who spent his playing days grafting in midfield for Blackburn and West Brom, collecting 35 caps for the Republic of Ireland, before slipping quietly into the coaching shadows. He learned the trade at MK Dons under Karl Robinson, then moved into international football with Stephen Kenny at U21 and senior level. Stints with Chris Wilder followed, before Brentford brought him in as a set-piece coach in 2023.

That, in theory, should have been his lane. Specialist. Background figure. Headphones on, laptop open, details man.

Instead, the club turned inward in the summer of 2025 and handed him the big job when Frank left for Spurs. It was a bold call. Some thought it was a risk too far. A set-piece coach elevated to Premier League manager at a club that had already punched above its weight? Eyebrows were raised across the division.

They have been lowered since.

Andrews took a squad many expected to slide towards the bottom three and steered it to ninth last season. Any early-season muttering about relegation quickly vanished. Europe was in sight until the final stretch, only slipping away agonisingly late. For a first full campaign in charge, it was a statement.

Inside the game, people have noticed. Outside too.

Former Brentford striker Clinton Morrison, speaking to GOAL via Freebets.com, did not bother hiding his admiration. “Amazing, amazing, amazing,” he said when asked about Andrews’ work. “I think Brentford have a chance of, even this season, getting them outside spots of Europe. They missed out last season. And they could win a cup.”

That optimism is rooted in what Andrews has built: depth, competition, and a squad that looks like it can absorb setbacks.

“I was speaking to him the other day,” Morrison added. “I was at the Birmingham-Brentford game and I just think Keith's done a fantastic job. He's got two players in every position.”

The recruitment backs that up. Mamadou Sangare, who Morrison insists “could have easily gone to any of the top four teams”, chose Brentford. “I think he's a special talent. He went to Brentford. He likes their project and they’ve got a good signing.”

Up front, Callum Wilson has arrived to add nous and edge, ramping up the pressure on Thiago. Out wide, Jaidon Anthony came in from Burnley and has started the season sharply, pushing Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. No one can coast. No shirt is safe.

Then there is El Hadji Malick Diouf. Brentford paid £40 million to West Ham for him, a figure that underlines the club’s ambition, yet he cannot get into the side right now. That says plenty about the standards Andrews is demanding, and the form of those ahead of him.

Keane Lewis-Potter, once a promising project player, has surged under this regime. Morrison picked him out as “outstanding”, one of several who have kicked on under the Irishman’s watch.

The bigger picture makes Andrews’ work look even sharper. Brentford lost key players, lost the architect of their rise in Frank, and were widely tipped to tumble back into trouble. Instead, they stabilised, then surged.

“And yeah, I think Keith Andrews, he’s done a brilliant job,” Morrison said. “Considering last season, the players that they lost and losing Thomas Frank, everyone thought Brentford might get relegated.

“He's done a great job. And this season, they started ever so well. Huge credit to Keith. And if he carries on going like that, there'll be a lot of other clubs higher up sniffing around him, for sure.”

Brentford have already locked Andrews into a long-term deal through to 2032, a show of faith that matches the club’s belief in their own model. The question now is whether that contract can hold if his trajectory keeps climbing and the so-called heavyweights come knocking.

For the moment, Brentford are not worrying about that. They are looking up, back towards those European places they only just missed. The surprise appointment has become the driving force of an ambitious club – and if this is only the beginning, how long can they keep him?