Igor Thiago has signed a new contract at Brentford.
The new terms, announced by the club on Friday, will tie the 24-year-old striker to the west London club until 2031, with a club option to extend by a further year.
The Brazilian has enjoyed an impressive season for Keith Andrews’ side this term, scoring 17 goals in the Premier League — only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored more.
Thiago officially joined Brentford from Club Brugge in July 2024, for an initial €33million fee and signed a five-year deal.
An injury-affected first season in England saw him restricted to just eight appearances and no goals before his breakout 2025-26 campaign.
Thiago’s goals have helped Brentford to seventh in the Premier League and firmly in the chase for European football, which would be a first in club history.
“The connection that he (Thiago) has with his team-mates, the staff and the fans, as well as how much the club means to him and he means to us, is pretty evident for everybody to see,” Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said in a press release.
“Again, it’s the person before the player. I love working with him and I’ve loved seeing his evolution as a player. How he plays is such a big part of how we play and what our season has been so far.
“He’s been a massive player for us, so it’s a contract he thoroughly deserves and I’m really happy that the club have been able to get it done.”
‘A fantastic piece of business for Brentford’
This is a deserved reward for Thiago who is having an excellent season. From Brentford’s perspective, it is a fantastic piece of business to tie down one of their best players to a new contract when rival clubs would surely have considered buying him in the summer.
Thiago’s path to becoming a top striker in the Premier League has not been straightforward. He was born in Gama, just outside the Brazilian capital Brasilia, and had to work when he was a teenager to support his family. He was a rubbish collector and would help carry people’s groceries home from the local supermarket.
Thiago spent time in Cruzeiro’s academy but he only scored four times in 43 senior appearances before he moved to Bulgarian side Ludogorets in March 2022. The forward’s career kicked off after his arrival in Europe, impressing for Ludogorets and then Club Brugge. Brentford signed him for a then club-record €36million from Brugge in February 2024, as a long-term replacement for Ivan Toney, but he did not join until that summer.
Thiago suffered a knee injury in a pre-season friendly which cast a shadow over his first year in west London. He only made eight appearances in the Premier League in the 2024-25 campaign and was named in the starting lineup just once.
From the outside, this would be a season of adjustment for Thiago coming back from injury and getting his first real taste of English football on a consistent basis. Brentford backed him to have an impact but he has smashed expectations and is flourishing, with 17 goals in 26 appearances putting him on the verge of a first call-up to the Brazil squad.