Former Brentford coach Bryan Riemer has admitted he was surprised by their announcement of a deal for Club Brugge striker Igor Thiago but knows it won’t have been done without due diligence.
Riemer has been speaking ahead of Anderlecht’s games this weekend, when he was questioned about Thiago’s move to Brentford.
The Bees announced a surprise deal for the Brugge striker this week, having secured a €37m deal, a Belgian record, for the Brazilian forward.
He will presumably be arriving at Brentford to replace Ivan Toney, who is expected to leave in the summer with all the big clubs in England keeping a close eye on his performances.
Those will be big shoes to fill but Riemer is sure that Brentford have done their due diligence.
He worked at the club as assistant manager for four years before leaving in 2022 so knows all about the club’s scouting network and use of data and is sure that will have been employed again here.
“No, they didn’t contact me,” he joked.
“I definitely didn’t see this coming. Brentford has a very extensive and data-driven scouting apparatus, they will not have ended up with Thiago by chance.
“Expectations will be high, as Thiago has to replace Ivan Toney. A great striker.”
