Michael Olakigbe Joins WSG Tirol on Loan from Brentford

Brentford winger Michael Olakigbe will take the next step of his education on the continent after completing a season-long loan move to Austrian Bundesliga side WSG Tirol.

The 20-year-old, part of Brentford’s B set-up, leaves west London again having spent the second half of last season in League Two with Swindon Town. He arrived at the County Ground in January and featured 18 times in all competitions for the Robins, registering one goal and three assists from six starts as he adjusted to the demands of regular senior football.

Now comes a very different test: a year in the Austrian top flight with a club that has been living close to the edge.

A new landscape in the Alps

WSG Tirol finished seventh before the league split in the 2025/26 campaign and then had to scrap to stay clear of the relegation group, ultimately surviving by just three points. It is not a cushioned landing. It is a club that fights, and a league that will ask fresh questions of a young wide player still piecing together his pathway.

Brentford B head coach Sam Saunders sees exactly that challenge as the point.

“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,” Saunders said, underlining the club’s belief that a spell outside England can sharpen his game in different ways.

“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 message is clear: this is not a goodbye, but an investment.

A career built on loans and lessons

Olakigbe is no stranger to the suitcase. Brentford tied him down to a long-term contract in November 2023, a season in which he made eight Premier League appearances and offered glimpses of the direct, energetic wing play that caught the club’s eye.

Game time at the top level proved hard to guarantee, so the club sent him out to gather minutes and scars elsewhere.

He joined Peterborough United on loan in January 2024, featuring in five league matches during the second half of the 2023/24 season. That spell ended in frustration as Posh fell in the League One play-off semi-final, a harsh lesson in the thin margins of promotion pushes.

By May 2024 he was on the move again, this time to Wigan Athletic. Olakigbe played 18 times for the Latics before Brentford recalled him mid-season and redirected his development to Chesterfield Town in January 2025. At Chesterfield, he stayed through the remainder of the campaign, only to experience play-off heartbreak once more as the Spireites exited in the League Two semi-finals.

Different clubs, different managers, different pressures. A common theme: knockout disappointment and the grind of the lower leagues.

From play-off pain to Austrian opportunity

That sequence of near-misses and short-term stints now gives way to something more stable: a full season in one league, one dressing room, one system. Tirol, with their narrow escape last term, will not be shy about demanding end product from a player whose pace and directness could tilt tight games.

For Olakigbe, it is another test of resilience and adaptability. For Brentford, it is another calculated step in a long-term plan for a winger they have already trusted in the Premier League.

The next time he pulls on a Brentford shirt, they will expect a player hardened by relegation battles in Austria, not just play-off chases in England.