Bryan Mbeumo ~ Player Scouting Report

/ Player Analysis

A deep dive on Mbeumo’s profile and how he’s quietly gone onto become one of Premier League’s most underrated attacking assets under Thomas Frank at Brentford

Career Overview:

The French born Cameroonian started his professional career at Troyes in France. Having made impressive progress in a short spell of time, Brentford nabbed the attacker from the traces of clubs like PSG and Man City who kept eyes on Mbeumo

Mbeumo’s consistency stands out as one of his most significant skills – successfully netted 58 goals + provided 40 assists in 211 games for the Bees. The feat Mbeumo has achieved serve as a testament to his dedication & reflect the effectiveness of Brentford’s scouting efforts

Bryan Mbeumo is a versatile left footed winger that can see adjust himself into positions as a #9/SS when depended upon to lead the line. A goal scoring maverick who’s an equally good associative playmaker that takes things onto himself and delivers whilst needed

After the sale of Brentford’s marksman Toney in the summer, Mbeumo has certainly stepped as the figurehead under Thomas Frank’s reign – having scored the most goals for the Bees since their PL debut in 2021. Could he be the one being eyed by top teams?

Firstly, let’s look at his player profile:
Age: 25
Club: Brentford
Position: RW/CF/SS
Foot: Left
Nationality: Cameroonian
Value: €39M
Height: 5’7
Avg SofaScore rating: 7.30

Strengths: Dribbling, Ball Carrying, Playmaking, Pressing
Weaknesses: Weak foot usage, Aerial Duels

Role at Brentford/Cameroon:

A vital asset in Brentford’s reign to the top of England. Tucking at RW to hold width or play as a CF/SS, he poses danger through – set-pieces with his elite passing + ball carrying and dribbling ability + agility to power off defenders – he’s got it all in Frank’s disposal

For Cameroon he features in a similar attacking role on the RHS but can tweak inwards when depended on tactically. Supportive runs in attack, utilisation of his physicality and his tactical nuances being at its disposal on the international stage

Playstyle – In Possession:

Whilst collecting the ball in the right half spaces, Mbeumo looks to be direct and drive further inwards to opt to dribble/look for passing lanes in playing the ball. Incisiveness helps him misguide defenders and carry the ball higher up the pitch

Once in an advanced central position, closer to the #9 as a SS – he prefers keeping things compact and neat. Mbeumo’s low COG and ‘small’ body type helps him keep the ball closer to his feet maximising his half turns and keep step over dribbles to make shooting angles

He enjoys using his left foot to cut in from the right wing using bursts of pace, keeping the ball controlled within his proximity of dribbling. Resorting to his reliability in finishing, bending finesse shots. Best conversion rate + xG over performance in the league

Mbeumo is a certain creative spark for Brentford. Drops deep to collect and is compact with his turning radius > looks for lofted through passes/through passes to break the defensive line or even carry the ball- highly front footed and looks for combinational play

Playstyle – Out of Possession:

Bryan Mbeumo’s qualities suit transitional styles as well where he acts as a force from defence to attack because of his exceptional technical abilities. Good utiliser of space + usage of pace + tempo setting is quite decent

Mobility is one of his best characteristics – always on his toes defensively just like he is offensively, looking to pounce onto any lose balls he finds, pressing being a pinnacle of his game where he manages it on his intensity

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Mbeumo is a constant mover in and around the box that complements his shadow running ability and find himself picking out the perfect spots behind defences. Connections on the pitch with players see him interchange roles – go wide/central and bring unpredictability

Despite his robust playstyle, Mbeumo possesses excellent agility with the ball at his feet – helps shift balance using his physicality very graceful with his movements which helps him manoeuver through press and make runs into spaces

Areas to Improve:

Mbeumo’s character to make things happen independently might have a self reliant persona come out negatively. Sometimes might not be the team player you want him to be even though he’s a very good link up player. He also is heavily left footed and has limited aerial threat which can minimize he damage he can create from the mentioned situations

Best position:

The question is where does he replicate his best skill sets on the pitch? Statistically, RW has been his most favourable position due to him impacting the team dynamics the most whilst > consistently overperforming his xG + converting chances

Quite visibly, cutting inside from the right half spaces is where Mbeumo feels the most confident + has the most authority in attack. However, SS is a position he could function in more often as he’s a player who’s movements OTB + connections on a pitch help in attacks

Conclusion:

Mbeumo’s ability to time in time out influence the game, effortlessly even in pressurised situation to get a result just like his counterpart Ivan Toney used to – hence the relation to an experienced robber robbing a bank

Bryan Mbeumo is in the prime years of his career, with his current Brentford contract ending in 2026 – it’s seemingly becoming an option that he will be targeting a move away from the Bees! Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle are said to be keeping tabs

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