Brentford’s Director of Football, Phil Giles, has given insight into the circumstances surrounding Frank Onyeka’s loan move to FC Augsburg in Germany’s Bundesliga.
During the summer transfer window, the Bees were busy, adding new players and selling some, while also securing loan moves for some youngsters to secure regular game time.
Those players include Nigeria midfielder Onyeka, whom Giles spoke about.
Giles stated that the decision to let the Super Eagles midfielder leave was mainly influenced by Onyeka’s desire for more frequent starting positions.
“Frank is a different case (from other exits). He’s played a lot of minutes for us—he was on the pitch 26 times last season—so letting him go is a little bit of a risk without an obvious replacement,” Giles said.
“But I’m very confident that we have the players to step in and take those minutes, and it’s important for them and their development.”
The Nigerian international has made 78 competitive appearances for the Bees since joining from Midtjylland in the summer of 2021. However, his playing time had become limited, with only 13 starts in 28 matches last season.
Brentford’s head coach, Thomas Frank, had earlier echoed Giles’ sentiments, saying, “Frank wants to play week in, week out as a starter; this is a good opportunity for him to do that.
He has been a big part of our success, and I can’t praise him enough for that in every aspect.”
The loan move to Augsburg does not include an option to buy, with Onyeka still having three years remaining on his Brentford contract, and the club has the option to extend by a further year.
Giles acknowledged the potential danger of allowing Onyeka to leave without a replacement right away, but affirmed his confidence in the team’s ability to cover his absence. The decision reflects Brentford’s commitment to player development and satisfaction, even at the potential cost of squad depth.
Brentford has had a busy transfer window since Onyeka’s departure, with several new arrivals, such as Igor Thiago, Fábio Carvalho, and Sepp van den Berg, and Ivan Toney’s departure to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.
Despite the leaner squad, Brentford’s management is optimistic about their prospects as they head into the 2024/25 Premier League campaign with two wins in their first three games.
