Danny Murphy wowed by ‘brilliant’ Aston Villa transfer target: ‘He’s got a chance’
Igor Thiago is continuing to earn plaudits amid transfer links to Aston Villa.
Villa are reportedly interested in a move for Thiago and the Villans have been backed to complete a deal in January for the Brentford striker.
Unai Emery has reportedly sanctioned Villa launching a £50million bid for Thiago, who is seen as a potential long-term replacement for Ollie Watkins at Villa Park.
Thiago’s stock continued to rise on Saturday as he scored twice in Brentford’s 3-1 win over Burnley at the Gtech Community Stadium.
And the 24-year-old was a hot topic of discussion on Match of the Day when Gabby Logan and Danny Murphy were discussing his start to the season.
Igor Thiago grabs headlines again amid Aston Villa links
The 24-year-old has been in outstanding form for the Bees and netted twice against Burnley in a game where all four goals arrived in the final 10 minutes.
Thiago now has 11 goals in 13 top-flight fixtures this season and is the fastest Brentford player to reach double figures in the Premier League for the club.
As such, Logan posed the question to Murphy on Match of the Day as to whether the former Club Brugge striker should be considered for a Brazil call-up, with the World Cup fast on the horizon.
She said: “So Thiago, Danny, the fastest Brentford player in the Premier League to double figures and he sits in an illustrious list of Brentford players around him. He’s looking to get into the Brazil squad, that’s his goal, he’s got no caps so far, the World Cup’s the aim, has he got a chance?”
Murphy replied: “He has got a chance because he’s unique, he’s a bit of an all-rounder.
“He’s old-school physical but he’s got a good touch, he can run in behind, scores different kinds of goals, he can link up well.
“I think he’s got a chance because nobody’s really nailed down that number nine for Brazil yet and he’s had a terrific start to the season. Brilliant, all credit to him.”
With Thiago in such fine form, it would certainly represent somewhat of a coup for Villa if they can strike a deal for his services in the January window.
Read more: How to watch today’s Aston Villa vs Wolves Premier League showdown.
How does Igor Thiago compare to Ollie Watkins this season?
Watkins is a firm fan favourite at Villa Park but it is fair to say that the 2025-26 campaign has not been his best in a claret and blue shirt thus far.
Thiago has 11 Premier League goals to Watkins’ one, and is outperforming his xG of 8.7, while Watkins is below his level of 2.6.
- Thiago cost Brentford £30million from Club Brugge in 2024
- He has netted 12 goals in 14 club appearances this season
- Only Erling Haaland has scored more league goals
Watkins is averaging just 0.48 shots on target per 90 minutes, whereas Thiago has 1.06, while the latter also leads the way in terms of all shot types per 90 (2.13 to 1.93).
It would be unfair to write Watkins off given what he has given Villa for so long now but with the England striker struggling for consistency, you could certainly understand why the Villans are looking for attacking reinforcement in the winter window.
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