It seems strange to suggest this, as just four seasons ago, all three of these teams were in the Championship, but Brentford, Bournemouth and Forest have all started this season quite strongly. At the start of the campaign, most would have had at least one of these sides in a relegation fight, but just three games in, they all look competitive at the highest level. So could any of them mount a real European push this year?

Brentford

In the 2022/23 Premier League season, Brentford finished ninth in the table, just two points off the UEFA Europa Conference League. Since that season, they have only really lost two big players in David Raya and Ivan Toney, but they didn’t have them for much of last season either, and they managed to avoid relegation, albeit a lot less comfortably than before.

Brentford remain the last team to beat Man City at the Etihad in a Premier League game 🐝⏪ pic.twitter.com/nWa0MXYBER

— LiveScore (@livescore) September 13, 2024

Manager Thomas Frank has proven himself to be very capable of not just competing with top clubs, but also beating them. They have had memorable games at home against Arsenal and away at Manchester City since they were promoted. On top of the high quality coaching, Brentford also have a crop of underrated players who are certainly Premier League level. The attack of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa is electric and that isn’t even mentioning their newest addition to the forward line Igor Thiago who is currently injured but set to return soon.

Perhaps most impressively for Brentford is their ability to grind out results at home. Last season, they earnt draws at home against Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brighton as well as wins against most of the teams in and around the bottom half. If they want to push for a European spot this season, they’ll have to continue their good home record and improve their results on the road.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth are currently one of just seven teams unbeaten in the Premier League after three games, with two draws and a win. They’ll feel hard done by that they don’t have two wins, after a review panel unanimously agreed that their late winner against Newcastle was ruled unfairly, but I’m sure Andoni Iraola will be pleased with the way his side have started the season.

The comeback kings are back in town 🍿 pic.twitter.com/7WsdPlFQf4

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 14, 2024

The biggest thing that Bournemouth have going for them, is their manager. Iraola helped the club to their highest ever Premier League points tally last season, in his first year in charge, and since then they have invested in the squad significantly. Dominic Solanke was the club’s top scorer last season, so his move to Tottenham could be problematic for the Cherries. Antione Semenyo has stepped up so far this campaign with two goals and an assist, so he could be the new player to watch for the south coast club.

The squad has a lot of young talent, with the likes of Illya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Alex Scott mixed in with more experienced players such as Adam Smith, Lewis Cook and Tyler Adams. This sort of mix is vital for any team pushing for Europe. We’ve seen last season that Bournemouth can shock some teams, with them beating Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, but it is the games against teams near them in the table that they need to improve in if they wish to be playing in Europe next season.

Nottingham Forest

Probably the wildest shout of the three, Nottingham Forest have been in the Premier League for two seasons since their promotion back in 2022, and both years have nearly ended in relegation. When they returned to the top flight, their transfer policy was to buy everyone they could and while it kept them up, they earned a lot of criticism from journalists and pundits. They haven’t changed tack too much recently, but they have been a lot more careful about where they spend money.

🗣️💬

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 13, 2024

Probably their most impressive piece of business over the last few years has been keeping a hold of Morgan Gibbs-White. If they have any hope of playing in Europe in the next few years, he will be crucial to their success. In the midst of chopping and changing both players and managers, Gibbs-White has been a constant in their midfield and is definitely the first name on the team sheet.

Like Brentford, Nottingham Forest is a tough place to go, however they have been known to let leads slip there, most notably to Bournemouth two years running. They are very much a form team, so if they are able to keep their good run going for a long time, then I can see them being in with a shout of Europe this season.

Ultimately this is all just speculation and requires teams such as Aston Villa, Newcastle, Brighton or West Ham to have poor seasons as well as one or two of the big six to also not be at their best, however looking at recent seasons, that is not entirely out of the question.