News Beat
Patient Dream Team bosses rewarded with Igor Thiago MEGA haul after five-goal Gameweek
DREAM TEAM managers who kept faith in Igor Thiago (£3.7m) could not have wished for a greater reward in Gameweek 18.
Brentford’s No9 banked a whopping 43 points across two fixtures in what has to go down as the most remarkable haul of the season so far.
Having missed virtually all last season, Thiago has performed miracles for the Bees this term with 17 goals in all competitions from 22 appearances.
All but one of his goals have come in the Premier League and this past week’s blitz has seen him gain ground on Erling Haaland (£8m), who probably thought the Golden Boot was sewn up.
Manchester City’s prolific poacher has bagged 20 goals in the top flight but is being kept honest by Thiago, who is now four shy of the Norway international.
Only one other player, Antoine Semenyo (£4.9m), has reached double figures in the league at the time of writing — the Bournemouth midfielder scored his tenth of the season against Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Incredibly, Keith Andrews’s side are up to fifth in the table, just one point behind Liverpool in fourth.
They are far from a one-man team but their Brazilian striker is clearly the propulsive force behind their impressive results.
Thiago left Hill Dickinson Stadium with the match ball as a trophy to show for his hat-trick against Everton last weekend, a superb effort that yielded 25 points.
That return was more than enough to satisfy his owners only for the 24-year-old to net a brace in a 3-0 win over Sunderland in midweek for any additional 18 points.
Not even runaway points leader, the aforementioned Haaland, has come close to 40+ points in a single Gameweek this campaign.
Thiago’s popularity skyrocketed in November when he scored five goals across three outings against Newcastle, Brighton and Burnley.
However, his new backers were left shortchanged over the festive period when he failed to score in any of his six appearances, a short drought that resulted in just 18 points.
Dream Team bosses who decided to replace him prior to Gameweek 18 will be kicking themselves after his outrageous mega haul.
And those who remained loyal, perhaps always hopeful of substantial returns from Brentford’s relatively favourable double header, will be overjoyed.
Needless to say, Thiago has stormed up the rankings this week.
While still 103 points behind Haaland, he’s now Dream Team’s second-best forward by a comfortable margin, 40 points ahead of Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.2m).
He ranks fourth among all players with midfielders Phil Foden (£5.4m) and Bruno Guimaraes (£5.4m) marginally ahead but firmly within striking distance.
Gameweek 19 brings an FA Cup third round trip to Sheffield Wednesday, a match-up that favours a striker in form but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Andrews rested his prize asset this coming weekend.
It’s worth noting that Thiago played just 30 minutes across Brentford’s four Carabao Cup games earlier this season.
But his owners should be content with a DNP in Gameweek 19 after his 43-point splurge.
Dream Team in association with Midnite
BET £10 GET £20 +50 free spins – CLAIM HERE
*18+ New UK customers. Bet £10 on accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0). Get 4x £5 Free Bets and 50 Free Spins, valid for 7 days on selected bets and games only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
