Keith Andrews, the Brentford head coach, has signed a contract extension until 2032 after an impressive start to his tenure.
Andrews replaced Thomas Frank at the end of last season, having joined the Brentford coaching staff as a set-piece coach a year earlier. The 45-year-old initially signed a three-year deal in June, but has been handed a four-year extension with his side chasing European qualification.
Brentford sit seventh in the Premier League table despite being expected to struggle this season, having lost several key players. Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, their two top scorers from the previous campaign, left in the summer last year for Newcastle United and Manchester United respectively, while Christian Norgaard, their former captain, joined Arsenal.
Andrews guided Brentford to their first Premier League win at St James’ Park earlier this month
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However, Andrews has outperformed expectations in his first nine months of management, picking up wins against Liverpool and Manchester United, and delivering the club’s first away wins against Aston Villa and Newcastle United in the Premier League.
“I love being here. I’m very privileged and honoured to be the head coach of this amazing club. To do that for a lot more years will be really nice,” Andrews said. “There was a lot of change in the summer and everyone needed time to settle down, but ultimately my responsibility is to get results.”
Speaking of his feelings when he took over, the Irishman said: “I did feel like I needed to earn my stripes.
“Naturally, I think there would have been a slight concern. If I were living in Dublin looking at Thomas Frank leaving and the set-piece coach taking over, I probably would have been a little bit worried too. So I really understood it.
As well as chasing qualification for Europe, Brentford are in the fifth round of the FA Cup
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“I was always going to grasp the opportunity I was getting with both hands.”
Brentford also reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, equalling their best ever run in the competition, before they were beaten by Manchester City. They are in the fifth round of the FA Cup, in which they will play West Ham United next month.
Having signed a much shorter contract at the start of the season, revisiting Andrews’s deal was a high priority for Phil Giles, Brentford’s director of football, after his excellent start.
Giles said: “Given our progress this season, I’m really happy that we have agreed this extension. Keith has done an outstanding job, the team are playing well and the things we thought we could be better at this season have all improved.”