Brentford’s Next Hit

After losing Thomas Frank to Tottenham, the prospect of a disappointing season for Brentford felt very real. One of the architects of their rise to the Prem, Frank’s departure seemed to threaten the club’s stability.

While plenty of aspects of the club combined to push them back towards European contention, striker Igor Thiago’s goal contributions have played a massive role.

As Frank’s Tottenham continues to suffer the first-year blues, Brentford survives despite his departure. While their defense finds itself around league average, buoyed by Thiago, Keith Andrews found a way to build a potent offense.

Having spent most of his career in smaller leagues across Europe, the Brazilian striker struggled to find form last season. Only eight appearances, all without a goal, Thiago spent his first season in the Prem mostly injured. In Frank’s last season, the club desperately missed a striker of the Brazilian’s caliber.

Fully fit and in a new system, he fully broke out in his second season. With only Haaland as his rival, Thiago will surely finish among the top three of the Golden Boot race this year. While Frank missed out on this production, it’s clear that Brentford’s success is based on much more than a manager.

Surprisingly, no club has yet tried to bring in Thiago.

Having already made big money on both Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney, it feels like just a matter of time before Brentford cashes in on Thiago.

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While Frank guided Brentford to a successful 10th place, there was hope that the Bees could have finished higher last season. A relatively weak battle for European spots, Brentford missed out on a potential Thiago breakout that may have propelled them to a spot.

Despite that tenth-place finish, Brentford still possessed one of the best attacks in the Prem. The combined brilliance of Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa gave the club two forwards who could easily score 20 in a season. As Thiago continues to prove every week, the club has another double-digit scorer on their bench.

A rather unorthodox progression: the Brazilian moved from the second tier of Brazilian football to Bulgaria. The relatively unknown prospect broke out with Ludogorets Razgrad, winning the league twice. Interest began to bubble for the striker before Club Brugge snatched him up.

After a strong first season in Belgium, Brentford came calling. The unknown forward demanded quite the fee for Brentford, who continued to make a name on these sorts of bets.

Spending his first season mostly on the sidelines, Brentford fans can only imagine how good the team could have been with him last year. Of course, it’s possible Thiago’s breakout was due to a lack of positional competition. Last season saw multiple forwards thrive, potentially robbing the Brazilian of his rise.

In the wake of a key architect of Brentford’s resurgence’s departure, plenty expected a regression for the club. Visions of a Wolves-like tumble danced in the minds of Bees fans, but Thiago and his teammates kept the side alive. A player who took quite the path to end up in London is now another success story for a club that keeps pumping them out.

If he continues to score with ease in the Prem, this summer promises to be hot for Thiago.

While most clubs already found long-term options up top, don’t be surprised to see someone splash the cash for the Brazilian.

Currently on pace to break the Brazilian scoring record in the Prem, Thiago’s play makes him, arguably, the most impressive story of the season thus far. While Haaland makes the Prem his playground, no other striker has kept up with him like the Brazilian.

Earlier in the season, the majority of Thiago’s goals came from the penalty spot. These spot kicks made it seem that his scoring prowess was inflated. Especially as Brentford struggled in the early phase of the season, doubts over prolonged success crept in.

Recent weeks, really a stretch dating back to December, saw the striker come to life. An impressive hat trick against Everton became his announcement to the rest of the league. This recent spell of dominance saw earlier doubts dissipate.

Part of his success comes down to the formation and system Andrews preferred. In a system tailored for a striker, the Brazilian is almost spoon-fed chances.

Thiago’s profile, especially when compared to other strikers, shows a player who is born to score. A relatively weak passer, but excellent defender, the striker uses his frame to be a menace at the end of the ball or on the press. Like the best poachers, Thiago operates around the penalty box, with most of his shots coming from there.

Especially in a system like the 4-2-3-1, the Brazilian only needs to play within the system rather than to create. As mentioned earlier, this is best exemplified in his shot map, where his best attempts come from close range. Additionally, Thiago’s ability to get the majority of his shots on target comes from this position.

In a system essentially built to get the most from him, Thiago didn’t waste a second.

Even as defenses continue to game-plan for him, there’s little doubt that he will continue to chase Haaland.

Challenging Brighton for the statistics-driven fans’ favorite, Brentford built a scouting system built around data analysis. Thiago proves to be yet another feather in the cap of this strategy.

As players continue to pass through Brentford, the club seems unlikely to suffer any dip, as their success with Thiago shows.