The results on the balance sheet
The numbers back up the approach. Brentford bought striker Ollie Watkins from Exeter City for around 1.8 million pounds in 2017 and sold him to Aston Villa for a club-record 28 million pounds three years later. They signed Ivan Toney from Peterborough United for roughly 5 million pounds and sold him to Saudi club Al Ahli for 40 million pounds in 2024, at least eight times the purchase price.
Operating with one of the smaller budgets in English football's top two divisions, Brentford climbed from League One to the Premier League by 2021, its first season in the top flight in 74 years.
