The 2023–24 Brøndby IF season was Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening's 43rd consecutive season in top-division of the Danish football league, the 34th consecutive in Danish Superliga, and the 58th as a football club. Besides the Superliga, the club also competed in the Danish Cup. It was the second season with head coach Jesper Sørensen, after he replaced Niels Frederiksen during the 2022–23 season.
This season covers the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. Following elimination from the Danish Cup in the fifth round, they finished second in the Danish Superliga and qualified for next season's UEFA Conference League qualifiers.
Background and pre-season The 2023–24 season is Brøndby's 43rd consecutive season in the top-division of the Danish football league. In the previous season, Brøndby had finished fifth, out of position to qualify for European football. Jesper Sørensen serves as manager for a second season, having been appointed in early-2023 after former head coach Niels Frederiksen had been dismissed. Kevin Mensah was the team's captain for a second season, after Andreas Maxsø's departure in January 2023.
There were significant changes to the playing squad ahead of the season, and key players the previous years left the club for undisclosed fees, including Mads Hermansen to Leicester City, Anis Ben Slimane to Sheffield United, Simon Hedlund to IF Elfsborg, and Blas Riveros to Talleres. The club made a high-profile signing early in the window in Jacob Rasmussen from Fiorentina, as well as Sean Klaiber from Utrecht later on. Adding to this, they signed young prospects Justin Che, Mateusz Kowalczyk, Yuito Suzuki and Emmanuel Yeboah.
The team prepared for the new season with a number of friendly matches, including matchups against Swansea City and Crystal Palace.
Season summary July–December
Brøndby had a strong start to the Danish Superliga season, securing a 2–1 away win against Silkeborg on 23 July 2023. Although they faced two subsequent losses, they rebounded with a remarkable five-game winning streak, conceding just one goal. This streak elevated them to second place in the league standings. Notably, Nicolai Vallys made a significant impact in the attack, scoring six goals in the first eight games of the season and earning the Danish Superliga Player of the Month award for August and a call-up for the Denmark national team.
Brøndby took on Copenhagen for the season's first Copenhagen Derby on 24 September, coming off the win streak. They could, however, not continue the win streak, despite dominating in the first half. Two late goals from Roony Bardghji sealed Copenhagen's 3–2 win. Just three days later, Brøndby made a strong comeback in the Danish Cup, securing a 3–0 victory against HIK. They maintained their excellent form in the subsequent two games, with wins over Hvidovre and Viborg, which catapulted them to the top of the league table. Brøndby concluded the fall season with a positive streak, remaining undefeated in eight games. Despite this, they drew half of these matches. As a result, by December 2023, they held the second position in the league table, trailing only behind Midtjylland. Additionally, their journey in the Danish Cup came to an end in December, bowing out in the quarter-finals with a 3–2 aggregate loss to AGF, despite securing a 2–1 home win in the second leg.
January–May During the January transfer window, Brøndby strengthened their defense by acquiring Jordi Vanlerberghe from Belgian Pro League club KV Mechelen and signing Denmark youth international Filip Bundgaard from Randers. Departing the club, Håkon Evjen returned to Norwegian football, and Yousef Salech, who had been on loan to Belgian club Westerlo for the first half of the season, moved permanently to Swedish club IK Sirius.
Brøndby began 2024 with two league wins, with Patrick Pentz achieving clean sheets in 1–0 and 3–0 victories against Midtjylland and OB, including a penalty save in the former. A 1–1 draw against Vejle was followed by two more wins, finishing the regular season in second place and qualifying for the championship round. A last-minute goal by Sean Klaiber, assisted by Jacob Rasmussen, secured a 2–1 away win over Copenhagen on the first matchday of the championship round, putting Brøndby in first place. After draws against AGF and Silkeborg, they achieved a crucial win over Midtjylland with a 2–1 victory thanks to two goals from Yuito Suzuki.
Despite another Suzuki goal in a draw against Nordsjælland, Brøndby lost ground in the title race on 5 May with a 3–2 away defeat to Midtjylland, their first loss in 19 league games. This was followed by another defeat on 12 May at home to Copenhagen, dropping Brøndby from first to fourth. They bounced back with wins against Nordsjælland and Silkeborg, putting them in a position to secure the league title on the final day, leading Midtjylland by goal difference. However, a 3–2 home loss to AGF and Midtjylland's 3–3 draw with Silkeborg meant Brøndby finished their 2023–24 Danish Superliga campaign in second place, one point behind champions Midtjylland.
Squad
Name Nat Position Since Date of birth Signed from Goalkeepers 1 Patrick Pentz GK 2023 2 January 1997 Bayer Leverkusen 16 Thomas Mikkelsen GK 2021 27 August 1983 Lyngby 40 Jonathan Ægidius GK 2021 22 April 2002 Lyngby Defenders 2 Sebastian Sebulonsen DF 2022 27 January 2000 Viking 3 Henrik Heggheim DF 2021 22 April 2001 Viking 4 Jacob Rasmussen DF 2023 28 May 1997 Fiorentina 5 Rasmus Lauritsen DF 2023 27 February 1996 Dinamo Zagreb 14 Kevin Mensah (captain) DF 2017 15 May 1991 Esbjerg fB 18 Kevin Tshiembe DF 2021 31 March 1997 Lyngby 24 Marko Divković DF 2021 11 June 1999 DAC Dunajská Streda 30 Jordi Vanlerberghe DF 2024 27 June 1996 Mechelen 31 Sean Klaiber DF 2023 31 July 1994 Utrecht 32 Frederik Alves DF 2022 8 November 1999 West Ham United Midfielders 8 Mathias Greve MF 2021 11 February 1995 Randers 10 Daniel Wass MF 2022 31 May 1989 Atlético Madrid 19 Bertram Kvist MF 2022 19 March 2005 Homegrown 20 Mateusz Kowalczyk MF 2023 16 April 2004 ŁKS Łódź 22 Josip Radošević MF 2018 3 April 1994 Hajduk Split 23 Christian Cappis MF 2021 13 August 1999 Hobro Forwards 7 Nicolai Vallys FW 2022 4 September 1996 Silkeborg 9 Ohi Omoijuanfo FW 2022 10 January 1994 Red Star Belgrade 11 Filip Bundgaard FW 2024 3 July 2004 Randers 28 Yuito Suzuki FW 2023 25 October 2001 Shimizu S-Pulse 36 Mathias Kvistgaarden FW 2020 15 April 2002 Homegrown 41 Oscar Schwartau FW 2022 17 May 2006 Homegrown 99 Emmanuel Yeboah FW 2023 25 February 2003 CFR Cluj
Out on loan
Transfers In Date Nat. Name Club Fee Ref. 14 July 2023 DF Jacob Rasmussen Fiorentina €3.00m 14 July 2023 DF Justin Che FC Dallas Undisclosed 2 August 2023 MF Mateusz Kowalczyk ŁKS Łódź €1.20m 11 August 2023 FW Yuito Suzuki Shimizu S-Pulse €600k 19 August 2023 FW Emmanuel Yeboah CFR Cluj €1.50m 1 September 2023 DF Sean Klaiber Utrecht €1.10m 29 January 2024 DF Jordi Vanlerberghe Mechelen €600k 1 February 2024 FW Filip Bundgaard Randers €3.00m
Out Date Nat. Name Club Fee Ref. 30 May 2023 MF Andreas Pyndt Silkeborg Free 20 June 2023 DF Christian Friedrich Næstved Undisclosed 13 July 2023 MF Anis Ben Slimane Sheffield United Undisclosed 18 July 2023 GK Mads Hermansen Leicester City Undisclosed 7 August 2023 MF Marinus Larsen AC Horsens Undisclosed 20 August 2023 FW Simon Hedlund IF Elfsborg Undisclosed 21 August 2023 DF Rasmus Wikström Mjällby AIF Undisclosed 29 August 2023 MF Joe Bell Viking Undisclosed 1 September 2023 DF Blas Riveros Talleres Undisclosed 27 January 2024 MF Håkon Evjen Bodø/Glimt €2.50m 22 February 2024 FW Yousef Salech IK Sirius €600k
Loans in Date Nat. Name Club Duration Ref. 18 August 2023 GK Patrick Pentz Bayer Leverkusen 30 June 2024
Loans out Date Nat. Name Club Duration Ref. 17 August 2023 DF Justin Che ADO Den Haag 30 June 2024 18 August 2023 FW Carl Björk IFK Norrköping 30 June 2024 28 August 2023 FW Yousef Salech Beveren 30 June 2024 1 September 2023 MF Christian Cappis Molde 31 December 2023
New contracts Date Nat. Name Contract until Team Ref.2 June 2023 DF Kevin Mensah 31 December 2024 First Team 19 July 2023 GK Jonathan Ægidius 30 June 2027 First Team 4 June 2024 GK Thomas Mikkelsen 30 June 2025 First Team
Non-competitive
Pre-season friendlies
Competitions
Danish Superliga
Regular season
Superliga results summary
Results by round – Regular season
Championship round
Results by round – Championship round
Regular season
Championship round
Danish Cup
Statistics Appearances and goals
|colspan="12"|Players who left Brøndby during the season:
Goal scorers PlacePositionNationNumberNameSuperligaDanish CupTotal 1 FW 7 Nicolai Vallys 13 0 13 2 FW 28 Yuito Suzuki 9 2 11 3 FW 9 Ohi Omoijuanfo 10 0 10 4 FW 36 Mathias Kvistgaarden 8 1 9 5 DF 31 Sean Klaiber 4 0 4 6 MF 10 Daniel Wass 3 0 3 7 MF 22 Josip Radošević 2 0 2 DF 24 Marko Divković 2 0 2 9 DF 2 Sebastian Sebulonsen 1 0 1 DF 4 Jacob Rasmussen 1 0 1 DF 5 Rasmus Lauritsen 1 0 1 MF 8 Mathias Greve 1 0 1 MF 11 Håkon Evjen 1 0 1 MF 11 Filip Bundgaard 1 0 1 DF 30 Jordi Vanlerberghe 1 0 1 DF 32 Frederik Alves 1 0 1 FW 41 Oscar Schwartau 0 1 1 Total 59 4 63
Assists PlacePositionNationNumberNameSuperligaDanish CupTotal 1 FW 7 Nicolai Vallys 8 0 8 2 FW 28 Yuito Suzuki 7 0 7 3 MF 10 Daniel Wass 6 0 6 DF 24 Marko Divković 5 1 6 5 FW 36 Mathias Kvistgaarden 5 0 5 FW 36 Mathias Kvistgaarden 5 0 5 5 DF 4 Jacob Rasmussen 2 0 2 MF 8 Mathias Greve 2 0 2 MF 11 Håkon Evjen 2 0 2 MF 11 Filip Bundgaard 2 0 2 9 DF 14 Kevin Mensah 1 0 1 MF 22 Josip Radošević 1 0 1 MF 35 Noah Nartey 1 0 1 DF 31 Sean Klaiber 1 0 1 FW 9 Ohi Omoijuanfo 1 0 1 DF 18 Kevin Tshiembe 1 0 1 Total 46 1 47
Clean sheets PlacePositionNationNumberNameSuperligaDanish CupTotal 1 GK 1 Patrick Pentz 10 1 11 2 GK 16 Thomas Mikkelsen 2 1 3 Total 12 2 14
Disciplinary record Number Position Nation Name Superliga Danish Cup Total 1 GK Patrick Pentz 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 DF Sebastian Sebulonsen 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 DF Henrik Heggheim 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 DF Jacob Rasmussen 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 DF Rasmus Lauritsen 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 7 FW Nicolai Vallys 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 8 MF Mathias Greve 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 9 FW Ohi Omoijuanfo 4 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 10 MF Daniel Wass 7 0 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 18 DF Kevin Tshiembe 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 22 MF Josip Radošević 3 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 24 DF Marko Divković 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 28 FW Yuito Suzuki 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 30 DF Jordi Vanlerberghe 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 31 DF Sean Klaiber 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 32 DF Frederik Alves 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 36 FW Mathias Kvistgaarden 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 37 DF Clement Bischoff 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 41 FW Oscar Schwartau 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0Players who left Brøndby during the season: 11 MF Håkon Evjen 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 15 DF Blas Riveros 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Total 56 0 3 7 0 0 66 0 3
Home attendance CompetitionTotalGamesAverageSuperliga 355,045 16 22,190Pokalen 12,949 1 12,949Total 367,994 17 21,647
References