Thiago’s Return Could Make Brentford Contenders

The major concern for Brentford this season was how they’d cope having sold Ivan Toney. Toney was their talisman, and when they didn’t have him available last season, they struggled. Igor Thiago was signed as Toney’s replacement but was cruelly struck down with a serious knee injury in preseason. His return in the coming weeks could be integral to how the Bees finish this campaign.

At the time of writing, things are going pretty well for Brentford. They’re midtable and only three points off of third place. The significant issue for the Bees relates to their away form, where they’ve lost five from five in the league. At home, it’s five wins and a draw from six, making them a popular Premier League betting home pick. And, while Thomas Frank’s men have scored eighteen goals on home soil, they’ve only scored four away, which tells its own story.

This is where Igor Thiago’s return to fitness could play a crucial role. Thiago, 23, was signed by Brentford on the back of a prolific season playing in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League for Club Brugge. In 2023/24, the Brazilian scored twenty-nine goals in fifty-five appearances in all competitions. His direct goal involvement was every 1.3 games, which is some going over the entire course of a campaign.

There’s no doubt Brentford are probably doing better than many expected at this stage of this season, bearing in mind they sold Toney, and then his replacement has been out with a cruciate ligament injury. Both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have stepped up and scored eight and seven goals, respectively, but both have previously starred as wide players. Although it’s thought Wissa’s preference is to play centrally.

But in Thiago, Brentford have a striker with the profile of a proper number nine in a sense. The big-money buy stands at 6’3, so he has the physicality and the size to mix it with the Premier League’s best in a battle of height and power. Thiago is also known to be a good link player, bringing players into the game around him, which will, in turn, aid the likes of Mbeumo further.

With the Premier League table from third downwards as tight as it is right now, this could be a great opportunity for Brentford to be contenders for a European place this season. A lot of other clubs will think they, too, should be aiming for European football qualification, but the Bees have the best home record in the division, and this is something that will stand them in good stead.

The next step will be to continue their good home form while trying to improve results away from the Gtech. When Thiago returns, he will be slowly introduced, but by mid-January, he could be starting games and leading the Brentford attack as originally planned. If he’s able to hit the ground running and score goals, who knows where that will take the Bees this season?