Brentford’s worst Premier League signings of all time

Brentford have earned a reputation as one of the Premier League's most efficient talent spotters since their promotion to the top flight in 2021.

However, not every signing has yielded dividends. From arrivals who struggled under the weight of heavy price tags to high-profile signings sidelined by persistent injuries, the West London outfit have seen their fair share of underwhelming business.

In this article, Football Whispers delves into Brentford’s five worst signings of the modern Premier League era.

5) Mikkel Damsgaard

When Mikkel Damsgaard joined Brentford in August 2022 for nearly £13m, he was fourth on the club's all-time most expensive signings list.

Signed to be Christian Eriksen’s direct replacement, he struggled to break through as a regular starter over his first two full seasons, failing to score a single goal across all competitions during that stretch, with only three assists.

Nonetheless, the last two seasons have been fairly good for the Danish international, as he has found his footing with 14 assists and seven goals to his name in that timeframe.

4) Joel Valencia

Recruited after winning the Polish Ekstraklasa Player of the Year award at Piast Gliwice, Joel Valencia seemed like a great signing on paper, but in reality, he looked out of his depth while at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Ecuadorian winger was unable to displace any of Brentford's forwards, and as a result, he spent some time on loan.

While on Brentford's books, Valencia was shipped off to Legia Warsaw, Alcorcon, and De Graafschap on loan, where he hoped to rediscover his form.

He made only 24 total appearances for the Bees, with just one of them coming in the Premier League. At the expiration of his contract in 2023, Valencia joined Polish second-tier side Zaglebie Sosnowiec on a free transfer.

3) Halil Dervisoglu

Halil Dervisoglu was scouted as the next promising European attacking talent to fit Brentford’s developmental model in 2022.

Although there were high hopes for the young Turkish forward, he never adapted to life in England.

Dervisoglu made just a single league appearance for Brentford and a total of 11 appearances across all competitions for the Bees.

Eventually, he was sent on loan and would go on to spend almost his entire contract on consecutive loan spells (including Galatasaray and Antalyaspor) before quietly leaving on a permanent transfer to Galatasaray in 2023 for only £440,000 with zero impact on the first team.

2) Aaron Hickey

Brentford spent £14m to acquire the services of Scottish international Aaron Hickey from Bologna in 2022.

Despite being a talented fullback and also recruited to be one of the team's cornerstones in defence, Hickey has failed to live up to expectations.

To be fair to the player, he had a couple of persistent and severe hamstring injuries which sidelined him for vast stretches of his time at the Gtech Community Stadium.

1) Fabio Carvalho

Fabio Carvalho signed for Brentford from Liverpool in August 2024 on a five-year contract for a reported £27.5m, as he sought regular Premier League playing time under Thomas Frank.

Despite the hefty transfer price tag, he found consistent starts and regular productivity difficult to lock down after two seasons at the club.

The Portuguese winger suffered a major, season-ending ACL injury during training in late November 2025 and has not featured in a competitive game since then.

Considering the size of the investment for a club like Brentford, getting minimal total appearances across the years makes Carvalho Brentford's worst Premier League signing.