Brentford are in advanced talks with Keith Andrews to replace Thomas Frank as manager.
Frank was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager earlier this month, leaving the Bees to search for a new coach and Andrews, who has been working at the club as a set-piece coach since 2024, is now the clear favourite.
The 44-year-old is well-regarded at the club and the Independent understands he is now searching for coaches to fill out a staff to tackle the Premier League next season.
Should Andrews be confirmed as the new manager, it would follow a pattern at the club of promoting from within, with Frank succeeding Dean Smith after operating as his assistant.
Former Brentford first-team assistant coach Justin Cochrane was seen as a front-runner to replace Frank, but he has now followed the Dane to Spurs.
The former Wolves, MK Dons and Blackburn Rovers midfielder thrived as a pundit for Sky Sports on EFL games before opting to work within Frank’s structure at Brentford last season.
Brentford hailed the appointment of Andrews last summer in the specialist role, with director of football Phil Giles stating at the time: “Whilst he has had more wide-ranging coaching roles in the past, focusing on set-pieces as a specialism is something which we think he has the qualities to do extremely well.
“I’m sure that our staff can help him develop as a coach, too. Set-pieces are an important part of what we do well and I’m sure we’ll maintain those standards with Keith in charge.”
Frank left Brentford after seven years, with Brentford considering a number of options, including Kieran McKenna after Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League.
But Brentford believe the 39-year-old has bigger aspirations within the Premier League and have now moved for Andrews as the probable successor to Frank.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Francesco Farioli, Kjetil Knutsen and Edin Terzic were also linked with the job, but Andrews appears set for his first managerial role of his career.
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every Club World Cup game for free