There were plenty of reasons to wonder whether Brentford might slip backwards in 2025/26. Thomas Frank had gone, several important players followed him out of the door and Keith Andrews was taking charge of a Premier League side for the first time. Instead, the Bees finished ninth with 53 points. Not spectacular, perhaps, but hardly the collapse some expected.
Igor Thiago made an enormous difference. After injuries wrecked his first year in England, the Brazilian scored 22 Premier League goals, finishing behind only Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race. Brentford managed 55 as a team, so exactly 40 per cent of their league goals came from Thiago alone.
That reliance is worth remembering, although Andrews’ side had other ways of hurting teams. Brentford were dangerous on the break and developed a knack for hanging around in matches. More than a third of their league goals arrived after the 75th minute, which says something about both their fitness and their willingness to keep chasing games.
For 2026/27, the most interesting Brentford stats may therefore sit beyond Thiago’s goal column. If Kevin Schade, Dango Ouattara and the rest of the attack can spread the scoring load around, last season’s ninth place starts to look like a foundation rather than a ceiling.
Brentford results and player numbers can be followed through BetVictor’s wider football stats coverage. The Premier League betting section provides the broader competition picture, while Thiago’s goals, Brentford’s clean sheets and their attacking output should be particularly useful measures across the season.
