Josh Dasilva: Once a Premier League prodigy now a Championship class act

Coventry’s 2-0 victory over Brentford saw the Bees fall to their third straight league defeat, but nobody can undermine how breathtakingly brilliant Thomas Frank’s side have been so far this season, as they remain firmly poised for a promotion push.

After last season’s campaign ended in the play-off final heartbreak for the Bees at the hands of London rivals Fulham, they will be even more eager to complete the job after 46 games this time around and seal their place in the Premier League.

The significant losses of Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa and Saïd Benrahma to West Ham last summer could have been damaging, after the pair combined to net 42 of the Bees Championship goals in 2019/20. Although, the addition of Ivan Toney has more than compensated for this, with the former Peterborough man capturing all the headlines, having scored 24 Championship goals in 30 outings so far.

But arguably one of the unsung heroes from last season was former Arsenal youngster Josh Dasilva, with the tenacious 22-year-old midfielder scoring 10 goals and notching four assists in a free-scoring Brentford team. Having recently signed a new contract in October 2020, the England Under-21 international has been an influential member at the heart of a Bees side challenging at the top of the table once again this year.

Fitting the Brentford Model

Having been widely tipped as one of the smartest operators in the transfer market, much owing to their detailed recruitment model, Brentford continue their production line of future Premier League talents. Josh Dasilva was sold the same vision as every player who joins Brentford when he signed on a free transfer from Arsenal in August 2018, one which ultimately ends with him playing in the Premier League, whether that be for Brentford or another club.

Initially, Dasilva had to be patient for opportunities in his first season at Griffin Park, as Brentford transitioned from Dean Smith to Thomas Frank. But the dynamic and stylish young midfielder has flourished under the Dane’s management and his impressive displays will be attracting Premier League suitors, if the Bees fail to gain promotion to the top-flight. Although, the promising young Englishman will have a hefty fee attached for any club wishing to acquire his services.

Impressive progression under Frank

As highlighted, the London born man has consistently proven his worth in the Championship over the past 18 months but has also proved his quality against Premier League teams in cup competitions this season, netting against Southampton and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.

His raw and natural ability was evident to see from his Arsenal youth days, but Brentford’s coaching team deserve to be credited for his transformation from a highly rated prospect to an established Championship player and more notably one of the best midfield players in the division.

Key Contributions

Brentford favour a 4-3-3 formation, with Frank’s philosophy being built on playing possession-based football. This underlines the role he plays in this side and the importance of producing an increasingly high pass completion rate, something which Dasilva is currently occupying at 88%, by completing 874 passes successfully so far this term.

Dasilva has already matched his assist output from last season, but currently sits five goals off his record from the previous campaign with only 15 games left to play, however, six of his goals last season did come over a 10-match spell when he broke into the side.

Conclusion

In summary, his statistics emphasise both his importance to Brentford and back up the argument that he is one of the best midfielders in the Championship.

The Bees midfielder will inevitably be a crucial part of Thomas Frank’s team as they enter the business end of the season. He will be hungry to contribute even more crucial goals, as Brentford strive to achieve their target of promotion.

As if Brentford fail to achieve promotion for the second successive season, they would risk Dasilva potentially being poached from their clutch, despite his current contract running at the Brentford Community Stadium until the summer of 2024.