Bournemouth vs Brentford – the Premier League’s smartest clubs face off

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Clash of the overachievers 

©TM/IMAGO

On Saturday the Premier League will enjoy a number of big-name clashes but perhaps the most intriguing game will be at the Vitality Stadium, where Bournemouth will welcome Brentford in what is sure to be a tightly-contested clash. With the hosts sitting ninth on 44 points and the Bees just three spots behind on 38 points, both clubs represent two of the most impressive sporting projects in the Premier League this season. And in many ways Saturday evening’s game will be two of the English top-flight’s smartest clubs locking horns as they both dream of qualifying for Europe in May. 

Bournemouth returned to the Premier League in 2022 after two years in the English Championship, while Brentford won promotion to the English top-flight for the first time a year earlier and since then both clubs have largely gone from strength to strength through clever tactics on and off the pitch. After finishing 15th in their first season, the Cherries then finished three spots higher last season and are now on course to finish in the top half of the Premier League table for the first time since the 2016/17 season. Similarly, Brentford went from 13th in their first season to ninth in their second and while last season saw the Bees drop back down to 16th, they too are on course for a respectable spot in mid-table come the end of the season, if not higher. 

While both clubs can call upon impressive and highly sought-after managers, the secret behind their success has been smart business off it. For example, the total cost of Bournemouth’s squad in terms of transfer fees stands at just €294.9m, while Brentford’s is even less at €259.4m. Which puts both clubs in the bottom eight for the cheapest squads in the Premier League this season, with Bournemout sitting eighth with a cheaper squad than Leicester City and Wolves, while just five clubs have a cheaper squad than Brentford this season. And when we then consider that alongside the points won by both clubs in the league this season, we can see from the graph above that the two clubs are among the five most efficient in the English top-flight for fees paid per point won. In no uncertain terms, both Bournemouth and Brentford are among the smartest clubs in the Premier League right now. 

When we draw a direct comparison between both clubs to see which club has managed to get the most bang for their buck, we see just how similar their success in the Premier League has been. Since returning to the top-flight, Bournemouth have spent €337m on new players and won a total of 131 points in the Premier League, giving them a cost-per-point of €2.57m. However, having spent €258m to earn 182 points since their promotion back in 2021, Thomas Frank’s side come out in front by the slimmest of margins, with a cost-per-point score of €1.42m. However, there’s no doubt that Bournemouth fans still prefer the very real six-point gap that they enjoy over their coming opponents and have high hopes that Andoni Iraola and his side can add a further three points to that with a win on Saturday.