Michael Olakigbe Joins WSG Tirol on Loan from Brentford

Brentford’s well-travelled prospect Michael Olakigbe has a new stamp in his football passport. The 20-year-old winger has completed a season-long loan move to Austrian Bundesliga side WSG Tirol, the latest step in a career being built one testing assignment at a time.

This time, the challenge is outside England – and Brentford are keen to see how he copes.

Olakigbe arrives in Tyrol off the back of a productive spell with Swindon Town, where he spent the second half of the 2025/26 campaign in Sky Bet League Two. After joining in January, he featured 18 times in all competitions for the Robins, scoring once and supplying three assists, with six of those outings coming from the start.

It was another layer of senior experience for a player Brentford have invested in heavily. He signed a long-term contract with the Bees in November 2023, a season in which he broke into the first team and made eight Premier League appearances. Those minutes underlined his potential, but Brentford’s plan for him has been clear: learn your trade in men’s football, learn it everywhere.

Loan Journey

The loan trail began in earnest in January 2024, when he joined Peterborough United. He featured five times in League One during the second half of that season as Posh pushed for promotion, only to fall short in the League One play-off semi-final. It was a harsh education in the fine margins of knockout football.

He barely paused. In May 2024, Olakigbe moved to Wigan Athletic on loan, adding 18 more senior appearances to his record before Brentford recalled him mid-season. The next stop was Chesterfield Town, where he spent the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. Once again, he reached the sharp end without quite breaking through, as the Spireites exited in the League Two play-off semi-final.

New Challenge

Now comes a different test: a new country, a new league, a new rhythm.

WSG Tirol, who finished seventh before the Austrian Bundesliga split last season and then held their nerve to stay three points clear of the relegation group, offer a platform and a pressure point. They need quality out wide; he needs minutes and responsibility. Both sides know what is at stake.

“It’s a good opportunity for Michael to go and test himself again in men’s football, but this time abroad and showcase what he can do,” he said. “From his loans in the Football League, it’ll be interesting to see how he goes and expresses himself abroad. I’m sure that he’ll get some great exposure and some good learnings, and we look forward to seeing him when he gets back.”

The pattern of his career so far is obvious: constant movement, constant examination. League One, League Two, promotion pushes, play-off heartbreaks. Now the Austrian Bundesliga, with its own tempo and tactical demands.

For Olakigbe, this is not just another loan. It is a chance to show he can be more than a promising cog in someone else’s promotion bid, that he can carry threat and responsibility in a top-flight European league.

Brentford will be watching closely to see if a year in the Alps turns a serial loanee into a genuine first-team option.