Andrews, 44, has been working as set-piece coach at the Gtech Community Stadium since last season and it is understood the club are looking to finalise him as their new manager ahead of pre-season starting next month.
He will need to put together his own backroom staff, with Frank having taken three members of his team to Tottenham after ending his seven-year spell at Brentford. Frank took assistant coaches Justin Cochrane and Chris Haslam, with analyst Joe Newton also joining Spurs. Cochrane is highly rated on the coaching circuit and was in the running for the Brentford job until agreeing to join team up with Frank again. First-team assistant coach Claus Norgaard has also left.
Andrews has also worked as a television pundit since retiring from a playing career in which he played for Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. He was also part of the coaching set-up of Republic of Ireland, for whom he won 35 caps.
Chris Wilder appointed him as a coach at Sheffield United in 2023 before he took up his role at Brentford working on set-pieces. Frank himself was in the backroom staff at Brentford before getting the manager’s job when Dean Smith left, with the club once again looking to promote from within their own ranks.
Five challenges facing Andrews in first senior management role
1. Losing important forward
It looks like Bryan Mbeumo will be leaving the club after six years, where he has established himself as one of the most efficient wide forwards in the Premier League. As previously revealed, Manchester United have targeted him despite also signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves. Mbeumo will not be easy to replace, given how dependable and consistent he is in attack.
2. Playing style
Brentford have played with a distinct style under Frank and supporters would not expect a huge change with a new manager. They have been playing in a fluid fashion, shifting from four at the back to three when out of possession. Their game is based on creating overloads and attacking from wide areas while keeping the central midfield compact.
3. Change in goal
Mark Flekken was a successful signing from Freiburg in Germany and after two years at the club has earned a move to Bayer Leverkusen. Caoimhin Kelleher comes in from Liverpool and will be the No 1 for the first time in his career.
4. Backroom staff
Justin Cochrane is regarded as one of the brightest coaching prospects in English football so losing him to Spurs is a blow, with Andrews needing to put together his own team. He has also lost analyst Joe Newton. So there will be a complete change behind the scenes rather than Frank being replaced and the set-up staying the same. There is also the challenge of this being Andrews’ first taste of senior management.
5. Signings
Brentford have signed Kelleher to replace Flekken and Michael Kayode’s loan has been made permanent, but more signings signings will be expected and the pressure is on to get them right after doing well in the market in recent seasons.