Igor Thiago

Key strength: Link-up play

Target man

In a stunning debut that announced his arrival at Brentford FC, 24-year-old Brazilian striker Igor Thiago has already made the Premier League sit up and take notice. The towering centre-forward, who arrived from Club Brugge on 2024-07-01 for a significant undisclosed fee, unleashed a goal-scoring masterclass in his maiden appearance, netting an incredible 5 goals in 90 minutes of action. Standing at 1.91m with a powerful physical presence valued at €22m, Thiago embodies the classic target man profile that Brentford's tactical system craves. His aerial dominance and hold-up play have immediately elevated a Bees side currently sitting 7th in the table, with creative lieutenants Julian Brandt and Yegor Yarmolyuk thriving off his ability to bring others into play. With a long-term contract running until 2029, Brentford have secured their attacking future. If Thiago can maintain anything close to this goal-a-game ratio, the €22m investment will prove one of the shrewdest acquisitions in recent Premier League history. The Brazilian-Bulgarian dual national has arrived - and English defenses should be very afraid.