The numbers behind Bryan Mbeumo’s incredible season
By Elume Raymond™ – Sports Data Analyst
Arsenal, title chasers, overcame Brentford 3-1 to kick off their 2025 Premier League
campaign with a victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford took the lead in the first half through their standout forward, Bryan Mbeumo, whoscored his 11th league goal of the season. However, they quickly bounced back from the disappointing defeat with a dominant 5-0 win over bottom-placed Southampton just three days later.
Mbeumo delivered a man-of-thematch performance, scoring twice and providing an assist, bringing his total to 13 league
goals in 20 Premier League appearances.
He now sits just behind Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland in the goal-scoring rankings, level with Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak. Mbeumo’s impressive form has made him a prime target for January transfer speculation, but his performances in England’s top flight have long established him as one of the league’s finest. With his brace against Southampton, Mbeumo reached 48 goal contributions since the start of the 2022/23 season. According to Opta, only seven players have more during that period, with the list being topped by the likes of Haaland and Salah, underscoring the high caliber of company Mbeumo now keeps.
Liverpool and Manchester United are among several clubs reportedly interested in the 25-year-old, with the speculation gaining momentum due to uncertainty surrounding Salah’s future at Liverpool and Manchester United’s efforts to rebuild both in the short and long term under new manager Ruben Amorim.
The building blocks to a record-breaking season
Bryan Mbeumo is currently third in the Premier League Golden Boot race with 13 goals—could he be the next Brentford player, following in the footsteps of David Raya and IvanToney, to secure a big move?
Mbeumo is not the first hidden gem Brentford has unearthed, and he certainly won’t be the last.
However, his acquisition might be the one that involved the most effort. In 2019,
technical director Lee Dykes was so confident in securing Mbeumo that he persuaded owner Matthew Benham to charter a jet, with manager Thomas Frank and then-sporting director Rasmus Ankersen on board, to fly to France for talks. It was mid-August, one of the hottest days of the year in France, and the taxi ride to the meeting lasted an hour without air conditioning. After intense discussions with Troyes, they returned to the plane without a deal.
Frank had even taken time out from training sessions for the trip, and on the way back, the jet battled through snow, thunder, and lightning before safely landing in London—still without Mbeumo.
Just days later, however, Brentford received a call: the deal was back on. They secured Mbeumo for just €5m (£4.2m), despite interest from PSG and Manchester City.
As Dykes once humorously recalled: “Brentford fans must know that I risked my life to sign Bryan Mbeumo!” And it certainly paid off. Mbeumo is not the first talent Brentford has nurtured into a Premier League star, and, after Ivan Toney and David Raya, he seems to be the next in line for a move to a top club. The 25-year-old has been linked with several top Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle.
Frank, speaking on Sky Sports, predicted: “I’m convinced one day he’ll play for a bigger club. I’d definitely buy him if I were at a bigger club.”With 13 goals in 20 Premier League games, Mbeumo is in excellent company, just behind Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, who have 16 and 18 goals, respectively. It’s clear that Mbeumo’s form is catching the eye of bigger clubs, and a move to one of them seems increasingly likely.
The incredible stats this season
Since playing a key role in Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Mbeumo has become an essential player for a team now firmly established in England’s top tier, having honed his skills in the Championship with 23 goals over two seasons.
When a team is promoted to the Premier League, there are often doubts about whether their squad can cope with the higher level of competition, given the stark difference in quality between the Championship and the Premier League.
However, Mbeumo has quieted those concerns by proving his ability to excel at the highest level. The Cameroonian international has scored 35 goals and registered 24 assists in 118 Premier League appearances. His influence has grown since his memorable debut, where he played a crucial role in Brentford’s historic 2-0 win over Arsenal in August 2021. This season, he’s on track to achieve his best-ever goal tally for the club.
Mbeumo outperforms many of his attacking counterparts in certain areas, boasting a better conversion rate than any other player in the Premier League with at least three shots this season.
The Cameroon international is certainly exceeding expectations in front of goal, as his current Expected Goals (xG) stands at 6.25—6.75 higher than his actual xG, the largest overperformance in the Premier League to date. His impressive statistics could have been even better, with Mbeumo also registering an Expected Assists (xA) of 4.64.
Mbeumo brings much more to the table than just goals; his versatility and all-around skill set make him an invaluable asset to any top-tier team. His creativity, ball progression, and defensive contributions all underline why he is such a formidable presence in the Premier League. What truly sets Mbeumo apart, however, is his off-the-ball ability. Known for his relentless pressing, the Cameroonian forward’s tireless work ethic and knack for winning possession high up the pitch have caught the attention of several footballing powerhouses.
Where could Mbeumo go to after such an incredible season?
The impressive numbers Mbeumo is posting are a testament to the talent-spotting abilities of Dykes and his recruitment team, as well as the skill of Frank and his staff in developing players.
Part of the reason they made that urgent trip to France on that scorching August day was the interest from top clubs, particularly in France, eager to secure Mbeumo’s signature.
Their quick action reportedly sent shockwaves through Ligue 1, according to French sources at the time. French clubs’ frustration grew even more when Mbeumo had a standout season in West
London. The forward racked up 17 goals and nine assists in the Championship, despite not starting the first nine matches of the campaign.
Fast forward five years, and Mbeumo is now Brentford’s top Premier League scorer since their debut in the summer of 2021, ahead of the recently-departed Ivan Toney.
Whether this is his last season at the club or not, Mbeumo’s talismanic presence in the squad is undeniable. Frank even admitted that Mbeumo’s four-month ankle injury in December 2023 was more damaging to the team than Toney’s 10-month ban. Rigobert Song, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions manager at the time decried same when he missed AFCON 2023.
Mbeumo had stepped up to fill Toney’s shoes last season, scoring seven goals in 15 games at the start of 2023-24. The team’s struggles in the 13 matches he missed—suffering 10 defeats—were no coincidence.
With Toney now gone, Mbeumo has become Brentford’s standout player, and he could still help propel them to another top-half finish this season.
Brentford now boasts two players in double figures for goals: Mbeumo with 13 and Yoane Wissa with 10—something no other team in the Premier League has achieved so far this season.
The pair have combined for 23 goals, second only to Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz (26). These 23 goals make up 61% of Brentford’s total Premier League output this season (38).
If Mbeumo were to score next, it would create a rare scenario where three players—Wissa, Toney, and Mbeumo—are all tied as the club’s Premier League top scorers. Currently, both Wissa and Toney are at 36 goals, with Mbeumo close behind at 35.
Recent reports suggest that Brentford has placed a £50 million price tag on Mbeumo.
Furthermore, the club is expected to activate an automatic one-year contract extension, securing him until the summer of 2027.
This could increase Mbeumo’s transfer value even more, potentially igniting a bidding war for one of the Premier League’s most underrated talents.
For now, Mbeumo is firmly in the spotlight following his recent comments about wanting to move to a bigger club in the near future—and Brentford’s status as one of the most astute recruiters in the league continues to shine.
Elume Raymond™ – Twitter/X: @elumeraymond
Stats courtesy of opta/ Stats perform
Excerpts courtesy of Sky Sports
