Five things Brentford's new football department must do to sustain Championship challenge

Matthew Benham now has his new football department in place with the appointment of Marinus Dijkhuizen as the club's head coach.

He will head up the playing department while co-directors of football Rasmus Ankersen and Phil Giles will take the lead on recruitment.

The Dutchman's wishes will be considered when it comes to transfers but he will not have an absolute veto, which his predecessor Mark Warburton had.

While Dijkhuizen inherits a strong Brentford team there are plenty of things he, and the co-directors of football, will have to do.

GetWestLondon outlines five things the new football department must do to ensure the club remain challenging at the top of the Championship.

Unite the squad

Those playing for Brentford loved predecessor Mark Warburton but others who had been frozen out like Marcos Tebar appeared less enthused, given his tweet after the season was over.

Harlee Dean went on record as saying he was worried about what the future held and whether he would be in the plans of the new regime.

Dijkhuizen must provide a united squad if they are to challenge for the Championship title. With a new structure in place there will, most likely, be casualties.

It will be difficult with Warburton's established first team, which became too predictable by the end of the season just gone, to ensure total buy-in but he must find a way to keep everyone happy or offload those who don't want to be a part of it.

Add strikers

Brentford used the least players in the Championship last season with 24 but their lack of depth cost them towards the end of the season.

The Bees added Chris Long to the ranks in January on a loan deal from Everton but an injury led to Andre Gray leading the line on his own for much of the run-in.

Although the former Luton man performed admirably, he could do with some help and with the luckless Scott Hogan unlikely to feature next season after his second cruciate ligament injury in the space of nine months.

Mark Warburton had a front three of Alan Judge, Marcello Trotta and Clayton Donaldson when he guided Brentford to promotion from League One. It changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Alex Pritchard, Jota and Judge playing behind Gray.

Two, or three strikers, depending on whether they fit in Dijkhuizen's preferred 4-3-3 formation will be essential to challenge at the top of the table.

It would be hoped one has the ability in the air to be a target at corners given their weakness attacking them in the season just gone.

Replace Alex Pritchard

As much as Brentford would love to see the England U21 international, it has already been confirmed that he will compete for a first-team spot at Tottenham.

The dynamic midfielder was the driving force behind the club's strong performances at the end of last season, being named as the eighth best player in the Championship and named in the team of the season so replacing his quality on the ball is essential.

Pritchard's return to White Hart Lane also leaves a role as long-range free kicks and penalties taker. James Tarkowski has taken, and missed, two spot-kicks so should not be anywhere near that role.

Alan Judge's record from the spot is not good enough but his free kicks from 20-25 yards out, as seen against Fulham, are a threat.

Lewis Macleod may yet take that role but the Scottish midfielder is unproven at Championship level after his injury-hit start to life at Griffin Park.

Competition for Bidwell

It's been difficult to evaluate Bidwell's performances in a Brentford shirt this season. On the one hand, you don't leave a game saying how wonderful his performance was but, on the other, you don't say he let the side down. He's a 7/10 player and his no-fuss performances are similar to Kevin O'Connor during his prime.

But, you have to wonder if he can find another level if he has someone pushing him for a starting spot through the season.

His absence was felt with Stuart Dallas moving into the left back spot to cover for him for the games against Bournemouth and Blackpool, not that he was meaningfully tested against a Tangerines side as the game was as statistically one-sided as England v San Marino.

Strength in depth in central defence

None of James Tarkowski, Harlee Dean and Tony Craig fully had a perfect season with the trio having games to forget for the club.

Brentford conceded 59 goals last regular season; the worst of the play-off sides, the second worst in the top 10 and only five less than relegated Wigan and the porous nature of the defence was the club's undoing in the play-offs.

It looks likely that Craig's time at Griffin Park will come to an end this summer and he has been linked with a return to Millwall. He is the only senior naturally left sided defender at the club.

Dean was, and still remains with some sections of the support, a scapegoat for most goals conceded. His performances picked up over the season and towards the end he was a rock at the back who played with a passion supporters love to see. Overall, he was the club's best defender over the course of the season.

Tarkowski is highly rated within the club but his form at the end of last season should be cause for concern as it was far from the standard expected for a side competing for promotion to the Premier League.

They all must be content with not having a guaranteed starting spot each week and, if they don't like that, then it will be time to wave goodbye.