The comparison is a natural one given their recent goalscoring exploits — Thiago finished last season with 22 Premier League goals, second only to Haaland's 27, and ended the campaign with 25 in all competitions, form that earned him a place in Brazil's World Cup squad.
Having stayed at the club beyond the summer transfer window despite interest from elsewhere, the Brazilian is now back leading the line at Brentford.
Speaking exclusively to ESPN Brazil, Thiago named the strikers he expects to compete with for goals in the Premier League this season.
"Haaland, João Pedro, and Isak as well when he comes back," he said. "I think they're strikers whose style of play I like, what they deliver. I think by watching them play, I learn as well. And I have been learning. They're the strikers who inspire me and who I also look up to."
It is Haaland, though, who receives the closest attention, with Thiago explaining that he watches footage of the Manchester City striker specifically to understand his movement in the penalty area.
"I watch quite a lot because each of them, with their own characteristics, has things I can use in my day-to-day game," he said. "I used to watch Haaland to see the movements he made on the pitch because it's not normal for a guy to score so many goals.
"It's no coincidence that a guy scores as many goals as he does. So I kept watching to understand the movements he made, so I could do the same."
Asked what specifically separates Haaland from other forwards, Thiago pointed to his sense of timing rather than his finishing ability alone.
"His timing is perfect. With runs in behind, he understands very well when to attack the space, when not to, and when to run towards the near post. He understands that moment very well, he understands that timing very well," he said. "Or when to run in behind, when to go towards the far post. So I think those are the things that make the difference for a striker and keep him one step ahead of everyone else."
Thiago's own numbers last season suggest the homework has paid off, with the 24-year-old setting a record for the most Premier League goals scored by a Brazilian player in a single campaign, surpassing the previous best of 15 shared by Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha.