Brentford are closing in on a £15.6m deal for Lazio and Italy attacker Matteo Cancellieri, 23. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesTottenham defender Cristian Romero should have been sent off at Brentford for bringing down Igor Thiago, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has said.
Thiago ran on to a ball over the top in the 56th minute of the 0-0 draw on 1 January, with Romero making a wild swipe to try to intercept. Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue at the Gtech.
Romero made no contact on the ball and brought down the Brentford striker. The video assistant referee (VAR), Alex Chilowicz, felt there was no clear and obvious error in not giving the foul.
It was a split 3-2 vote of the KMI Panel, both on the on-field decision not to show a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO) and the potential VAR intervention.
The KMI Panel said Romero "brings down Thiago, who has a high likelihood of gaining control of the ball, travelling towards goal, with no covering defenders".
It was also felt Madley should have given a spot-kick (3-2) for Kevin Schade's challenge on Archie Gray, but it did not reach the threshold for VAR (3-2).
Romero could also have been sent off for a serious foul play challenge on Thiago when the teams met in December. The KMI Panel voted 3-2 that it should have been a red card, but 4-1 that the VAR was right not to intervene.
Brentford suffered two VAR errors of the 13 logged in the first half of the season. The second was a penalty not awarded in the home victory over Newcastle.
The Bees also gained from a mistake when Nathan Collins was not sent off against Manchester United for a DOGSO foul on Bryan Mbeumo.
Tottenham have not been involved in any other VAR errors.
Ian Westbrook
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesThe future could be potentially very exciting for Brentford if the past seven days are anything to go by.
Last Wednesday night, we reached the heady heights of fifth in the Premier League table - our highest mid-season position in the competition.
And thanks to the FA Cup at the weekend, we are going to be fifth for at least 10 days!
This sparked chats about who we want to play in the Champions League next season, though not from me... The likes of Bournemouth and Crystal Palace have shown this season that fifth can quickly become 12th with a couple of defeats.
And that's fine. For me, this season was all about a solid survival campaign, given the summer upheaval, which we've already achieved.
However, we have shown we have the potential to challenge for a European spot, which I think is achievable in the next couple of years.
The other thing to proverbially get fans off their seats was the long-awaited full debut of teenage attacking midfielder Romelle Donovan in the FA Cup win at Sheffield Wednesday - which I'm glad we took seriously with a strong side.
He has shown his talent in the B team with some spectacular goals, leaving us desperate to see him in first-team action.
Donovan took his chance on Saturday with both hands. He led the inexperienced Owls defence a merry dance and was brought down for our penalty - but also did not neglect his defensive duties, tracking back to make a crucial tackle early on.
I don't want to go overboard about someone so young after only one game - but if he carries on like this, we have a real star in the making on our hands.
With the addition of another teenager in striker Kaye Furo - exactly the sort of signing I suggested we needed - this is a great time to be a Brentford fan!
Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external
Image source, Getty ImagesThe draw for the FA Cup fourth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.
The matches will be played over the weekend of 14 February.
Liverpool/Barnsley v Brighton
Stoke City v Fulham
Oxford United v Sunderland
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Hull City v Chelsea
Burton Albion v West Ham
Burnley v Mansfield Town
Grimsby Town v Wolves
Aston Villa v Newcastle
Manchester City v Salford City/Swindon Town
Macclesfield v Brentford
Birmingham City v Leeds
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup.
Here are some of your comments:
Maxwell: Romelle Donovan was excellent and is my Player of the Match. Such trickery on the wing keeping defenders guessing and did well to win the penalty. Also, he was unlucky to not score a goal after inspired saves from both opposition keepers. Good squad rotation from chief Keith to keep the Bees in great form!
Tom: Controlled the game from start to finish against a poor Wednesday team. Donovan and Reiss Nelson sparkled and it will be good to see more of them down the stretch. Can't help but feel we left a few goals out there, though. Almost retained the ball too well.
Anthony: We never got out of first gear. Comfortable performance from the second string. Donovan showed he's a future star. Nelson so unlucky not to put one away. Hopefully it is the start of a good cup run.
Cliff: Donovan was sensational on his full debut. He combines skill and work rate in a dynamic package. He is going to be some player. I felt a bit sorry for Wednesday - a once great club in free-fall. It could have been 6-0 if we'd taken our chances and got out of second gear.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 2025-26 FA Cup fourth-round draw will take place on Monday, 12 January at approximately 18:35 GMT.
Proceedings will take place before kick-off in the third-round tie between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield.
Former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will conduct the draw that will consist of 32 teams live on TNT Sports.
Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.
All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 14 February.
Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Non-league Macclesfield are the lowest-ranked team in the draw after beating holders Crystal Palace in a remarkable 2-1 victory.
What are the ball numbers?
1. Wolverhampton Wanderers
2. Southampton
3. Aston Villa
4. Port Vale
5. Wigan Athletic
6. Ipswich Town
7. Wrexham
8. Chelsea
9. Manchester City
10. West Ham United
11. Brentford
12. Fulham
13. Sunderland
14. Liverpool or Barnsley
15. Burnley
16. Norwich City
17. Arsenal
18. Leeds United
19. West Bromwich Albion
20. Salford City or Swindon Town
21. Burton Albion
22. Grimsby Town
23. Hull City
24. Newcastle United
25. Oxford United
26. Leicester City
27. Birmingham City
28. Bristol City
29. Stoke City
30. Macclesfield
31. Brighton & Hove Albion
32. Mansfield Town
Image source, Brentford FCBrentford have signed forward Kaye Furo from Club Brugge on a five-year deal.
Furo, 18, has played in eight games for the Belgian side this season having made his senior debut in August.
He scored his first goal for Club Brugge in December and was a second-half substitute against Arsenal in the Champions League just a few days later.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said: "Kaye is someone we have tracked for a while that we are really excited about bringing to the club.
"His attributes are ones that I like and feel we can develop within the environment we have created. I have no doubt he will be a big player for us."
Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
What did you make of Brentford's display?
Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies
Sheffield Wednesday XI: Charles, Fusire, Emery, Otegbayo, McGhee, Alao, Thornton, Ingelsson, Shipston, McNeil, Cadamarteri.
Subs: Stretch, Palmer, Johnson, Kay, Redmond, Onukwuli, Lowe, Grainger, Moses.
Brentford XI: Valdimarsson, Hickey, van den Berg, Pinnock, Henry, Henderson, Jensen, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter, Nelson, Donovan.
Subs: Eyestone, Yarmoliuk, Ajer, Collins, Konak, Janelt, Kayode, Nunes, Arthur.
There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester
Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester
Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM
Boreham Wood v Burton Albion
Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London
Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent
Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live
Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk
Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle
Salford P-P Swindon
Sheff Wed v Brentford
Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR
Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio
Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Grimsby v Weston (17:45)
Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London
Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London
Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds
It is really sad to see what has happened at Sheffield Wednesday and there is no way for them to salvage their season now.
Brentford are flying at the moment under Keith Andrews and they are another club who I'd love to see have a real go at the FA Cup this season.
The Bees have never got past the quarter-finals in their history, and have not even got that far since 1989. You only have to look at Palace last year to find a team winning it for the first time so it is definitely doable for them too.
Sutton's prediction: 0-2
Image source, Getty ImagesMichael Johnston from the Ealing Road Podcast has been praising Brentford's recruitment team for unearthing Igor Thigo on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
Thiago joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a club record fee of £30m, but was plagued by injury in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.
However, the 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals - the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.
"The fact Brentford could have a Brazilian number nine at a World Cup is a pinch-me thing," said Johnston. "Thiago has been a revelation and he can do a bit of everything.
"What has impressed me the most is his progression from the beginning of the season until now. Not many fans had him down to be a 16-goal striker by January.
"He is putting out Erling Haaland numbers and is the latest in the Brentford conveyor belt of strikers.
"He joins Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo, Neal Maupay, Scott Hogan and Andre Gray.
"We have something special in our recruitment because we keep finding these strikers that put away loads of goals."
Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds
Manchester City are interested in signing 21-year-old Brentford and Italy Under-21 right-back Michael Kayode. (Caughtoffside), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist
Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Andrews said the club are "still dusting everything down" from the victory against Sunderland on Wednesday but the returning Dango Ouattara has been given an "extra couple of days off" as he recovers from the Africa Cup of Nations.
On rotating his squad after a heavy schedule: "What I can guarantee is that we're taking the game seriously. We took the League Cup really seriously, we got to the quarter-finals and were beaten by Manchester City, and the same approach will be taken towards the FA Cup. It's a competition I have a lot of love for."
Teenage winger Romelle Donovan is in with a shout of starting against the Championship strugglers: "Romelle's definitely in contention. He's training really well in the main and I like a lot of his qualities. He's probably been a little bit unlucky not to get Premier League minutes. I anticipate Romelle getting some minutes at the weekend."
Andrews also suggested forward Reiss Nelson is fit again to start: "Reiss has come back from a knock during the December period. He's come back into the fold and probably hasn't been ready to start games, but he's edging closer with the minutes he's been getting. We'll get Reiss, and the team in general, back into a flow as the games become more week to week from this Saturday onwards. Reiss will certainly be involved at the weekend."
With Igor Thiago's five goals in two games placing him second in the league top scorers, Andrews said his striker must be close to a first national call-up: "He's been immense with how he's taken our mantra of our number nine and how he's led the line by constantly evolving his game to become a complete centre-forward. He always gives defenders a tough outing. It's not for me to pick Carlo Ancelotti's squad [for Brazil]. He knows what he's doing but he's well aware of Thiago and his capabilities and if Thiago keeps going the way he is, it puts him in a really great position."
The 24-year-old took a knock against Sunderland and embraced Andrews in a long hug as he was substituted: "[I told him] 'I need to look after you'. He's precious to us. This is the first time he's gone game, game, game, and in a short period of time. We've kind of looked after him and nurtured him as the season's gone on."
He added: "So when he took that knock, it was always in my mind to look after him and take the edge off the full game. But when he's on two goals, he's obviously looking at back-to-back hat-tricks. And I know what way he's wired, so that was always a difficult dilemma. So I had to just make that decision, which obviously wasn't entirely popular with him. But I think he's understood it."
Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 from 15:00 GMT on Saturday
Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesIgor Thiago is the man of the moment, but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.
While they had star players - Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to name a few - under Thomas Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.
The fear was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.
As a result, appointing Keith Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.
A first managerial job is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the Premier League and having made the leap from set-piece coach to the top job.
But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.
So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision-makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.
Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle have followed.
Wins that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove all the more important in the race for Europe.
"We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," Andrews added.
"We are happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."
In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very different.
But, for now, Brentford are defying the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.
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We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Brentford and Sunderland.
Here are some of your comments:
Brentford fans
Chuck: Outstanding from start to finish, Brentford blew away an accomplished Sunderland, with Vitaly Janelt pulling the strings in midfield and Igor Thiago doing what he does best: dominating defences and scoring goals. To be fifth in the table at this stage of the season is a tremendous effort by all concerned. Long may Brentford's progress continue.
Keith: Dominated most of the game. Lots of confidence in the team. Not sure Keith Andrews should have started without Mikkel Damsgaard or Jordan Henderson. To me they are similar players and we play better if one of them is on the pitch.
Richard: Absolutely brilliant. Brentford fought for every ball and everyone was worried at the start of the season. Thomas Frank, you made a big mistake.
Michael: Brilliant display by the Bees. Is Caoimhin Kelleher the coolest keeper in the Premier League? He seems unfazed, no matter the situation.
Sunderland fans
Rob: A tired performance from a depleted squad; nothing to panic about, we will bounce back. We can forgive Enzo le Fee with that penalty miss as he has been superb all season.
Andrew: At some point we had to have a poor performance. The penalty miss drained our energy and it could have been more than three goals from Brentford. We learn from the experience and move on. Let's remember, we still have 30 points and the Afcon players are coming back. Still proud of the season's achievements so far.
Colin: Sunderland were poor all over the park. We've got nothing to complain about as we got exactly what we deserved - there is no excusing that performance.
Alan: In football, one team loses so another wins. Penalties get missed or saved. The lads were beaten by a very good workmanlike team. Move on!
Image source, PA MediaSpeaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie praised Brentford's rise to fifth under boss Keith Andrews after a difficult summer at Gtech Stadium:
"There was some scepticism [at the start of the season]. It wasn't just because Keith Andrews took charge - they lost Thomas Frank and a number of key players, and a lot of people thought Brentford would potentially be a team down in the relegation zone.
"Sometimes it's easier to take on a role where there's less pressure to start, where you back yourself. He did back himself and he's proven it."
Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds
Pundits Danny Murphy and Stephen Warnock are on hand to bring you the action and talking points from the nine Premier League fixtures so far this week.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball."
On Igor Thiago: "The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities. It is really impressive. He is a really special person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted.
"He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."
On league position: "We are happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."
Did you know?
Brentford have 33 points from their opening 21 league matches this season (W10 D3 L8). It is the the Bees' joint-best return at this stage of a Premier League campaign alongside 2022-23.
Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesThere has been no shortage of fantastic Brazilian players who have excelled in the Premier League over the years.
From Juninho at Middlesbrough to Roberto Firmino at Liverpool and plenty more between, you can now add the name Igor Thiago.
And Brentford's 24-year-old frontman has now achieved something none of his countrymen has ever achieved.
After a torrid, injury-hit first season in England, Igor Thiago has been superb in his second and put in another dazzling display against Sunderland.
He began slowly but soon warmed to his task and after firing one warning shot just wide, raced on Vitaly Janelt's through ball and showed all his composure to round the keeper and roll the ball into an empty net.
From that moment until he was replaced eight minutes from time, the striker did not give Sunderland's centre-backs a moment of peace as he showed the all-round game - pace, power, clever link-up play - that has so impressed this year.
Kevin Schade should have scored from an Igor Thiago pass, hitting the bar with just the goalkeeper to beat, but moments later the German was rising to head to ball back towards the Bees' number nine, who guided his header into the bottom corner.
That was the goal that moved him past Firmino, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha to become Brazil's most prolific scorer in a season with 16.
Quite the achievement - and if he keeps playing like this, there are sure to be more to come. In a wide-open Premier League, his contribution has put Brentford into a battle for Champions League qualification.
