Brentford chief executive Mark Devlin believes the club have a strong base to build upon going into next season.
The Bees ended the last campaign in 10th place and there is a growing feeling at Griffin Park that the nucleus of the squad is strong and, with the right additions, can challenge for promotion next season.
Despite spending more last summer than the Bees did in their entire history, Aston Villa and Derby both suffered heavy defeats at Griffin Park.
And chief executive Devlin knows that, while the Bees operate on a limited budget, they have the capability to upset the big spenders.
He said: “They know the areas they'd like to strengthen the squad. I think we recognise that we've got a strong young squad that if we can build on we can give ourselves every chance to go even better next year.
“It's all about whether we can get the targets we want if they're in our price range. There are a number of players out there that the directors of football are talking to and their agents.
“We'd like to do our business as early as possible so we've got the players for as much of pre-season as possible. We've got a strong base to build upon.
“We all know our budgets are restricted in comparison to some of the teams in this division so we've got to be as smart as possible as we can't overspend on players.”
Last season, if basing finishing position on budget, Brentford would have been in the bottom third of the division.
Devlin added: “My guess in terms of budget when I talk to my counterparts is we'd probably be in the bottom six.
“It won't take a genius to work out the clubs in and around us. If the league table is based on budget we were punching above our weight which is credit to Dean and the players for a really good season.”
