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With the contacts our coaching staff have on Merseyside, Beesotted columnist, Daniel Vine, suggests that Liverpool and Everton starlets must surely be on the menu this close season.

In my last article I discussed the strength of the current Brentford squad and how we would fare when promoted to the Championship. I came under a bit of fire for discussing next season before we had actually been promoted, but after the events of Great Friday, the reality is that we’ll be in a higher division next year and playing against better opposition – so we’ll need to strengthen.

I believe that Brentford are NOW a very attractive offer for Premier League teams to send their youngsters to gain match experience. When Adam Forshaw and Jake Bidwell came to Brentford, they weren’t in Everton’s first team plans for the next five years, and they probably wouldn’t have had their contracts renewed, so League One was a good place to send them in order for the duo to showcase their talents, as well as a chance to find a new club.

However, now we are a Championship club that will be playing in front of 15-20,000 supporters most weeks. We are now a club that can attract players that ARE in their club’s first team plans over the next few years. As a result, I believe that we will see some very special players at Brentford over the next couple of years – I’ve no doubt there’s a list already drawn up between Warburton and Benham.

Our Liverpool link is my main focal point. Frank McParland was their academy boss, so he knows about every youngster at one of the best clubs in the UK for developing youth – and let’s not forget that Mark Warburton and Brendan Rodgers are good friends from their time together at Watford. Liverpool also took part in the NextGen series, so their future stars are probably already well known to us. And David Weir is equally au fait with the whipper snappers from the other side of Stanley Park.

I said previously that we needed to sign a striker, a winger and a midfielder on loan next season if we are to compete with the bigger boys. Liverpool have these players; Jerome Sinclair, Jordan Ibe and Jordan Rossiter. All will play in the Liverpool first team and probably for England one day.

We’ve got links with both Chelsea and Everton,  so names like Conor McAleny and Nathaniel Chalobah will also be mentioned, but I think we’ll see our Liverpool connection bloom this year and we’ll see the full benefit.

We also need another striker. Will Grigg hasn’t shown that he’s capable of playing regularly in our League One team so far, so what’s he going to be like in the Championship? The next pre-season will be so important for Will and his future chances at Griffin Park.

I’m looking forward to seeing who we will bring in and seeing just how far my beloved Brentford can go!

Up the Bees!

Daniel Vine