Keith Andrews: Brentford's Rising Star as Head Coach
Keith Andrews was never supposed to be the headline act at Brentford. A steady Premier League midfielder with Blackburn and West Brom, 35 caps for the Republic of Ireland, and then the quiet graft of coaching at MK Dons alongside Karl Robinson – his path looked more like that of a career assistant than a future leading man.
He kept climbing anyway.
Spells with Stephen Kenny at Ireland’s U21s and then the senior side sharpened his tactical edge. Work under Chris Wilder added another layer. By the time Brentford brought him in as set-piece coach in 2023, he had seen enough dressing rooms and dugouts to understand how elite environments really function.
Nobody expected what came next.
When Thomas Frank agreed to join Tottenham in the summer of 2025, Brentford turned inward. Rather than chase a big external name, the club handed the reins to their set-piece specialist. Andrews to head coach. A promotion that raised eyebrows across the league and drew more than a few sceptical smiles.
He has silenced them all.
Any early whispers about relegation vanished quickly last season as Brentford surged to a ninth-place finish under the Irishman. Europe slipped just out of reach, but not by much. The club’s ambitions have shifted. Those continental places are no longer a fantasy; they are the target again for 2026-27.
Andrews is locked into a long-term contract through to 2032, a serious show of faith from the board. The question now is whether Brentford can keep him for the duration. If he stays on this trajectory, the so-called “big” Premier League clubs will not ignore him for long.
One man who is already convinced is former Brentford striker Clinton Morrison. Speaking to GOAL on behalf of Freebets.com, he did not hold back when asked to assess the job his close friend has done.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing,” Morrison said. “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.”
Morrison had caught up with Andrews at the Birmingham-Brentford game and came away even more impressed by the depth and balance of the squad.
“He's got two players in every position,” he said. “The boy who they signed, [Mamadou] Sangare, he could have easily gone to any of the top four teams. I think he's a special talent. He went to Brentford. He likes their project and they’ve got a good signing.”
That word – project – matters at Brentford. The club have built their rise on smart recruitment and relentless competition for places, and Andrews has leaned into that culture rather than trying to reinvent it.
“He's got Callum Wilson’s experience - puts pressure on Thiago,” Morrison continued. “[Jaidon] Anthony, who they signed from Burnley, started the season well - puts pressure on [Dango] Ouattara, Kevin Schade, competition.
“They signed [El Hadji Malick] Diouf for 40 million from West Ham - can't get a game at the moment. Keane Lewis-Potter has been outstanding. So they have a lot of good players there at Brentford.”
This is the new Brentford under Andrews: established names jostling with emerging talents, big fees on the bench if standards drop, no guarantees for anyone. Reputation counts for less than form. Depth is no longer a luxury; it is the weapon that allows them to dream of cups and European nights.
Morrison knows how far the club have come in a short space of time, and how precarious it all looked when Frank walked away.
“And yeah, I think Keith Andrews, he’s done a brilliant job,” he 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 grown used to bigger clubs circling their best players. Now they may have to fight just as hard to keep hold of the man in the dugout.
