Brentford fans have been dealt a quadruple whammy these past few weeks with the departures of Jota, Maxime Colin and Harlee Dean and the news regarding the new plans for the new stadium at Lionel Road.

The phrase 'timing is everything' has come to mind repeatedly over the last few hours and it's barely six weeks ago when everyone at Griffin Park was excited by the season after the signings of Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay.

The reality, though, was it was always likely to be a high point with player departures almost inevitable at some point in this window.

Brentford's player policy, especially in the last three years, can be summed up in three very simple points.

One, every player has a valuation and, if a club offers that, then a bid will be accepted.

Two, if a player is in the final year of their contract and no new deal can be agreed then the Bees will look to cash in rather than see a player leave for nothing.

Three, Matthew Benham will not risk the long-term sustainability of the club by paying over the odds in transfer fees or wages or, as we have seen, in the new stadium.

While there is obviously a cloud hanging over Griffin Park as a result of recent news, I don't believe there should be too many causes for real concern and I'll explain why below.

Lionel Road

Artist's impression of Brentford's Lionel Road development

I can understand the view that it is a disappointment, particularly amongst those who worked hard on the original design, to see a reduced capacity stadium plus the lack of shop and pub at the new ground.

However, it should go without saying that Matthew Benham has the club's best interests at heart but there are always one or two people who forget that.

Despite that, the over-riding feeling I have on the whole issue is a new stadium, even if not at the original capacity, is better than no new stadium.

Brentford are leaking money at Griffin Park, as much as fans feel at home there, and the club does not have a sustainable future there. If Lionel Road can ease the financial pressure on the club then that can only be a good thing.

Jota's departure

Consider this reality for a second, Jota's departure to Birmingham is announced on July 13 with Brentford announcing the signings of Neal Maupay on July 14 and Ollie Watkins on July 18.

The disappointment of seeing the Spaniard depart would be compensated by the arrival of two exciting young players.

It has to be pointed out that the Bees aren't propped up by parachute payments which reward clubs who have failed to survive in the Premier League.

They also have a stadium that doesn't bring in income outside of matchdays which holds them back.

Essentially, Brentford are going into a gunfight with just their fists to defend themselves with, and those are tied behind their back as well. That is the state of play in the Championship.

If we look at the start of the season, Watkins has outperformed Jota and, once Sergi Canos shakes off his injury problems, the Bees will have plenty of options on the flanks.

Brentford have followed a similar pattern in the last two seasons in terms of form but crucially in terms of players.

The Bees became reliant on Alan Judge and, to my eye at least, improved as a team after his injury.

They then became reliant on Scott Hogan and, clearly, improved as a team after his departure to Aston Villa.

Brentford also started to rely on Jota to score goals and create them. Will history repeat itself again?

Maxime Colin's departure

Maxime Colin on the ball for Brentford

This is probably the one that there is the least concern, especially after the signing of Henrik Dalsgaard; the club have already secured a replacement.

The Frenchman had a successful spell at Griffin Park and his presence will be missed but the club had already planned for this eventuality.

Harlee Dean's departure

To me, Dean is the biggest loss, as I explained earlier this week and he is a player that has been under-rated by those at the club and supporters in my opinion.

Speaking to him yesterday, I could understand what he meant by not being there or thereabouts come April and that being a frustration to him.

The last two seasons have been consistently inconsistent with the Bees going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

But, another common ingredient, has been the departure of Brentford's captain. Dean is the third skipper to leave the club after leading the side the previous season after Tony Craig and Jake Bidwell.

The Bees moved on from those departures and they will do so again. Dean had become as pivotal off the pitch as Judge and Hogan were on the pitch.

Speaking of Bidwell, his departure was announced then quickly buried by the club announcing the signings of John Egan and Dan Bentley in less than two hours.

Timing is everything.