Brentford may have managed to seamlessly replace Ivan Toney with Bryan Mbeumo, but this might not be a long-term solution.
The Bees forward has more than stepped up to fill the void left by his former strike partner’s summer departure to Al Ahli, netting eight times in 11 Premier League games this season.
Mbeumo‘s impressive start to the season has seen him emerge as a surprise contender for the Golden Boot, with only Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland having scored more so far, with 12.
Having helped Brentford to promotion to the Premier League in 2021, the Cameroon international has long played a key role in a side that has firmly established itself in England’s top-flight.
But with Mbeumo now the headline act at the Gtech Community Stadium following Toney‘s exit, his recent form looks to have caught the eye of some big clubs.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle are all believed to be among the sides keen on securing the 25-year-old’s services.
In response to this, the Bees are understood to have slapped a £50million asking price on Mbeumo.
The west London outfit also plan to trigger an automatic one-year extension to his contract, tying him down until the summer of 2027.
With this likely to send the former France youth international’s transfer value soaring, a bidding war may be on the cards for arguably the Premier League’s most underrated player.
In goalscoring terms, Mbeumo is enjoyable an incredible campaign.
He is currently just one goal away from equalling his best-ever tally in front of goal for a top-flight season, while still only in November.
What’s more, he has gone about this in clinical fashion, with his conversion rate of 36 per cent bettered only by teammate Yoane Wissa (46) and Chris Wood (38) among the league’s top ten goalscorers.
But the Cameroonian brings far more to the table than just goals, with his statistics showing just how valuable an addition he would be to any top club.
While he has just one league assist to his name so far, this is no reflection on his all-round game, with Mbeumo having created five big chances for his teammates this term.
Of the 12 players to score five or more goals in the Premier League this season, only Mohamed Salah (six) and Cole Palmer (13) have managed to carve out more clear-cut openings.
There can also be little question over Mbeumo’s ability to combine with those around him when looking at the bigger picture.
In September, the former Troyes star overtook Toney to become the Brentford player with the most goal involvements in the Premier League.
He has now registered a total of 30 goals and 22 assists since August 2021, four ahead of the Englishman’s 47 direct contributions.
Just as impressive about Mbeumo’s game however is his performance off the ball.
The Indomitable Lions man has won possession in the final third 12 times this campaign, with only Tottenham‘s Dejan Kulusevski winning the ball high up the pitch more times.
Mbeumo’s tireless work-rate is also reflected in his running statistics, having recorded a total of 242 sprints so far, the fifth highest in the Premier League.
These figures will surely be of particular interest to Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who places high defensive demands on his attackers.
And with Mbeumo surely destined for a top club given his exceptional numbers across the board, it may not be long before Brentford make a significant profit on the £5.8million they paid Troyes to bring him to west London in 2019.
