Keith Andrews has been rewarded for taking Brentford to the brink of European football for the first time in the club’s history with a new long-term contract.
The 45-year-old former Republic of Ireland midfielder, who took over the reins at the Bees following Thomas Frank’s departure for Tottenham Hotspur, has signed a deal that will keep him at the west London club until the summer of 2032.
The Dubliner had penned a three-year contract when he took the job last summer. Under his guidance, Brentford sit seventh in the Premier League, eight five points off the top four and Champions League qualification. They’re also in Europa League and Conference League contention.
“I just want to constantly evolve the team and evolve the individuals in the team,” said Andrews. I want to keep working on that on a daily basis. I want us to keep pushing each other really, really hard.
“In terms of style of play, I just want us to be relentless; I’ve said that pretty much from the start. We’ve grown and built that. I want us to be a horrible team to play against and, in the main, we are. But I also want us to be a team that enjoys playing football and enjoys being a team, not just individuals.”
Brentford’s director of football Phil Giles said Andrews had “done an outstanding job. The team are playing well and the things we thought we could be better at this season have all improved,” he said. “He is a really good fit for the club and the way we like to work, as he is able to bring the best out of both players and staff alike.”
Brentford are on course to eclipse the club’s Premier League record high of 59 points, which they achieved in 2022-23. That was good enough to see the Bees finish in ninth-place. This season, they’ve so far amassed 43 points.
Slight concern
Brentford is Andrews’ first managerial job. He initially joined the club as set-piece coach in July 2024, departing Sheffield United, where he had been part of the coaching set-up under Chris Wilder.
“I did feel like I needed to earn my stripes,” said Andrews. “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. I was always going to grasp the opportunity I was getting with both hands.”
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Andrews had also previously held a coaching role MK Dons and was an assistant under Stephen Kenny for both the ROI U21 and senior sides. He is only the seventh permanent Premier League manager from Ireland, and the first since Chris Hughton was sacked by Brighton in 2019.
As a player, Andrews represented clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hull City, MK Dons and Blackburn Rovers during a 16-year playing career which began in 1999. He earned 35 caps for the Republic of Ireland and featured at UEFA Euro 2012.
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