Brentford's director of football Phil Giles has claimed that his club are not scared of 'second season syndrome', something that has affected many clubs in the past making the leap up to the Premier League - including Leeds United.
After being promoted back to England's top-flight after a 16-year absence in 2020, the Whites secured themselves a very lofty 9th place in the table but were quickly dragged back down to Earth the following season.
After Marcelo Bielsa's departure and a relegation scrap that went down to the final day, not much has changed just a year on from that, with the Whites once again finding themselves changing their manager in late February and hoping the tide turns in their favour.
READ MORE: Rodrigo set for Leeds United fitness boost as he eyes Georginio Rutter-Patrick Bamford theory
But one team that has managed to avoid 'second season syndrome' are the Bees, who managed 13th in their first season ever in the Premier League and are currently sat ninth, just seven points off the top four spots.
“When you get into the Premier League you can accelerate it a bit, because you’ve got the finance, brand power and the reputation," Giles told iNews. "And it’s where players want to be."
There's one thing that highlights the clear difference between Brentford and Leeds over the past two seasons - their recruitment strategies. Everyone knows about Brentford's so-called 'Moneyball' approach to the transfer market and how they've made it work well for themselves.
While Leeds have thrown millions of pounds at the wall over the past few years and hoped some stuck, Brentford have carefully selected what they believe to be the best talents across Europe and are trying to use them to usher in a new age of the Premier League.
And of course, players like Rodrigo, Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford over the past few years have certainly helped Leeds but none might've had the impact that Ivan Toney has had on the Bees.
"Ivan’s done really well, he’s got a brilliant mentality and incredible self-belief,” Giles continued. "You can see that when he takes his penalties, he’s absolutely nerveless. He hasn’t missed one and hasn’t even been close to missing one for us.
"People underestimate him. They think he’s a big physical presence who is difficult to play against, which he is, but he’s also technically a lot better than a lot of people realise from the outside.
"If you look at the fourth goal against Man United, the assist for that, he plays a first time half volley of perfect weight. It’s an unbelievable quality pass. Then the chip against Leeds, I know he has an open goal, but it’s not the quality that people associate with him. His technical level is very, very high."
And with Leeds in their second-straight relegation battle following their return to the Premier League, it's been a tough few years for all those associated with the Whites.
However, when Brentford were promoted to the top-flight just a year after Leeds, they seem to not be worried at all about "second season syndrome", something that Giles believes applies to teams that over-achieve in their first year and 'regress' to their actual level.
"We’re not an established Premier League club yet – it would be stupid to say we are. The job is to keep being better, year on year and see where we can go."
READ NEXT:
Lucas Radebe singles out Leeds United forward as being key in relegation battle
Leeds United loanee's emotional post after 'frustrating and upsetting' injury setback
Leeds United ace Junior Firpo meets Dominican Republic coach to discuss 'national team project'
The seven teams struggling in front of goal more than Leeds United this season
Former Leeds United goalkeeper Rob Green claims West Ham 'need' David Moyes amid supporter unrest
