Analysis: Brentford’s top five performers so far this season

Now that the January transfer window has ended, it seems like the season is coming to an end.
Prior to focusing on the crucial months of the 2024–2025 season, Playmaker Stats has evaluated and examined five Brentford players who, according to their own ratings, have been the Bees’ best players.

Bryan Mbeumo

Average rating: 7.17

Mbeumo is one of the Premier League’s standout players and is having what may be his best season to date. The 25-year-old Cameroonian has scored 14 goals and provided three assists this season, bringing his total Premier League goal contributions for Brentford to 60, more than any other Bees player. His 14 goals also place him fifth in the top scorer charts for this season. In addition to his goal scoring, Mbeumo’s play has made him one of the league’s most exciting and dangerous attackers, ranking third in the league for crosses (126) and sixth for key passes (45).

Brentford’s attacking style has also benefited from his movement; he has made 50 carries into the penalty area, which is fifth-most in the league, and his ability to locate space has allowed him to rank second in the Premier League for progressive passes received (233).

Mbeumo’s effort rate is also commendable; this season, he has made 97 ball recoveries for his club in the league, more than any of his teammates.

Mark Flekken

Average rating: 7.17

When he moved from Freiburg to take David Raya’s place at the beginning of the previous season, Flekken had some large shoes to fill, but he has adapted to life in west London.

The Bees have shrewdly allowed attempts from less risky areas while drastically cutting down on those from the more dangerous ones, thus Flekken has typically had to face more shots than other goalkeepers.

This indicates that Flekken has been mobilized on a regular basis and has performed well. In Europe’s top five leagues, no other goalie has made as many saves as the Dutchman (103). In fact, Torino’s Vanja Milinković-Savić is the only other goalie that even comes close, with a pitiful 82 saves.

In addition, the 31-year-old has a good save rate, stopping 72.5% of the shots that were thrown at him, which places him sixth in the Premier League.

The player who has kicked the ball the most (15,406) in those elite European leagues is Flekken. To put that in perspective, that’s around 140 times the length of a football field!

Nathan Collins

Average rating: 6.83

The Republic of Ireland international, who has participated in every minute of Brentford’s Premier League campaign, is an essential part of the Bees. He is in the top 10 for touches (1,618 total) in the top flight thus far, in part because of his consistent presence.

Crucially, Collins boasts some of Europe’s top defensive numbers. In the top five leagues in Europe, the 23-year-old is ranked fourth with 136 total clearances and fifth with 47 blocks. Additionally, he has been a headache for opposing attackers, tackling 75% of dribblers, which places him in the league’s top 10.

Having won 76 aerial duels, Collins is undoubtedly a formidable force in the air, especially when paired with teammate Ethan Pinnock. With that figure, he is ranked third among all the players in the division, but he is the best defender of all, outperforming players like Virgil van Dijk and James Tarkowski.

Collins has won more penalties than any other Brentford player this season, possibly because the opposition finds it difficult to handle him physically and in the air at times.

Mikkel Damsgaard

Average rating: 6.79

We have already discussed how Mbeumo might be having his best season to date, and the elegant Damsgaard is finally deserving of his praise.

After moving from Sampdoria to the club in 2022, Damsgaard had to wait until September to score his first goal for the Bees in the League Cup against Leyton Orient. Damsgaard, who has scored against Bournemouth and Aston Villa this season, has now gone for the London bus cliché of scoring three goals after going goalless for two seasons.

The Dane’s primary role is to be the creator-in-chief, though, and he has undoubtedly been doing that this season.

Only four players have more assists than Damsgaard, who has already contributed eight in the Premier League. Only Bukayo Saka has outperformed him thus far this season, and the player is ranked second for goal-creating actions (16). These 16 add up to a remarkable 0.8 goal-creating acts per ninety minutes.

These numbers are undoubtedly the result of Damsgaard’s superb passing, as the 24-year-old has made 14 through balls (fourth in the league) and 147 progressive passes (eighth). Mbeumo is the only Brentford player with more crosses (126) than Damsgaard (78).

Yoane Wissa

Average rating: 6.67

Wissa, who has already scored 11 goals in the Premier League this season (and 12 in all competitions), is only one goal short of teammate Mbeumo’s total for the 2023–24 season and is not far behind him in the scoring ranks.

Since Wissa was unable to take a penalty (Mbeumo is very good at them, after all), his total appears to have placed him in joint-fifth place for goals that did not involve penalties. In the Premier League this season, it puts him one ahead of his friend and coworker and behind only Chris Wood (14), Mohamed Salah (15), Alexander Isak (16), and Erling Haaland (18).

In fact, Wissa is on track to be his most successful season since he scored 16 goals in 32 games for Lorient in Ligue 2 if he scores one more goal for the team in any competition.

When he scored in Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City last month, the DR Congo international also achieved the milestone of becoming the team’s top scorer in the Premier League. Although he will have to glance over his shoulder because Mbeumo is only behind him on goal number 36 (tying Ivan Toney), that was Wissa’s 37th Premier League goal!

With 25 goals between them, Wissa and Mbeumo are among the most effective offensive duos in the Premier League, surpassed only by Salah and Cody Gakpo (29) and Haaland and Phil Foden (26).