IGOR THIAGO (£3.9m) has been a revelation this season.
Brentford’s No9 has scored nine goals in all competitions, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland (£7.9m).
Thiago bagged a brace against Newcastle on Sunday as the Bees won 3-1 in front of their fans at the Gtech Stadium.
The Brazilian received 17 points for his efforts to finish as the top performer of Gameweek 11.
More broadly, his prolific form has translated to 97 points in total.
Manchester City’s premier poacher is the only striker above Thiago in the rankings.
MOST POINTS AMONG DREAM TEAM STRIKERS THIS SEASON
- 185 pts – Erling Haaland
- 97 pts – Igor Thiago
- 93 pts – Mohamed Salah
- 92 pts – Jean-Philippe Mateta
- 85 pts – Cody Gakpo
- 82 pts – Joao Pedro
- 79 pts – Viktor Gyokeres
- 72 pts – Nick Woltemade
- 72 pts – Jarrod Bowen
- 68 pts – Hugo Ekitike
The success of Brentford’s main man is doubly impressive given the limitations of his schedule.
Whereas the likes of Salah, Mateta and Gyokeres have additional point-scoring opportunities in the form of European commitments, Thiago has to make do with domestic duties.
In fact, aside from half an hour in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth in Gameweek 2, all of Thiago’s minutes have come in the Premier League.
Generally, Dream Team managers prefer players with busy schedules but some exceptions demand due consideration.
As it happens, Keith Andrews’s side have two double headers coming up:
- GW13: Burnley (h) & Arsenal (a)
- GW15: Leeds (h) & Man City (a)
Given Thiago averages a whopping 8.1 points-per-game this season, he has to be considered among the strongest options available when rare double Gameweeks come along.
The 24-year-old signed for Brentford in the summer 2024 but was restricted to just 169 competitive minutes last season because of a serious meniscus injury.
This campaign, following the departures of Bryan Mbeumo (£5.8m) and Yoane Wissa (£4.5m) to Manchester United and Newcastle respectively, Thiago has stepped up for the West Londoners in a big way.
His current strike rate of 106.1 minutes per goal in all competitions may not be sustainable but there’s no doubt he’s on course for a prosperous season.
Thiago currently features in 8.1% of teams, which makes him just the ninth-most popular forward in the game.
Dream Team in association with Midnite
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