Brentford have completed the signing of Igor Thiago from Belgian outfit Club Brugge.
Igor Thiago, 22, has reportedly penned a five-year deal with Brentford with an option for an additional 12 months. He will currently stay with Club Brugge for the remainder of the season before officially joining the Bees on July 1.
“I’m very pleased that we have been proactive as a club; big credit to Matthew Benham [the owner], Phil Giles [director of football] and Lee Dykes [technical director] for the hard work they have done,” Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said on Igor’s signing.
“We are ahead of the curve. We have signed a key player for a key position. He is hard-working and a very good pressing player. He is also a physical presence, very good in the box and can link the play.
“He’s progressing well in the Belgian league, so there is big potential and we are looking forward to seeing him in a red and white shirt.”
The Brazilian forward has scored 16 goals for Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League this season, adding 10 more in games across the European qualifiers, Conference League and the Croky Cup. Brentford are understood to have paid a fee in the region of £ 30 million for the 22-year-old, who arrived at Brugge from Bulgarian club Ludogorets in March 2022.
Igor Thiago’s signing paves way for Ivan Toney’s exit
Last week, Thomas Frank said he expects striker Ivan Toney to be sold in the summer.
At the end of the ongoing campaign, Ivan Toney, 27, will have one year left on his contract and has been heavily linked with moves to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. The English striker scored on his return to action against Nottingham Forest last month following an eight-month ban for breaking FA’s betting rules and regulations—including betting against his team.
The signing of Igor Thiago should pave the way for Toney to leave the Gtech Community Stadium. Thomas Frank Thiago would ideally want Igor to hit the ground running in the Premier League next season and sufficiently replace Toney at the tip of the attack. The Brazilian has established himself a key player for Bruges and his performances in Belgium in two years prompted the Bees to splash a big fee for his services.
Igor has the required tools to develop into a top striker in the English top flight, becoming the face of Brentford’s attack from next season onward.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
