Bryan Mbuemo, could he be the left footed Trossard?
Not a sexy signing but one that could add needed depth to the team
Now that transfer rumors are heating back up again, I want to get back to doing some quick hits on players as they come up in the rumor mills before I dig deep as the interest becomes more concrete.
Let’s start the summer transfer rumors with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.
The links are still from spurious sources but let’s not let that stop us from doing some analysis.
Mbeumo is right in the middle of his peak, turning 26 just before the season starts. He’s a bit on the smaller size but is built well to be able to standup to the demands of the Premier League plus he has a track record of good performance with 4 seasons under his belt in the League already.
He is currently going through his best goal scoring season having scored 19 goals and 26 overall goals plus assists this season. At a high level that’s an impressive tally.
It does include 5 penalties scored (6 attempted) but even with those taken out it’s a 20 G+A season and 0.57 per 90 basis.
Here is the radar and distribution for the season:
That’s a bit less impressive than the high-level numbers would suggest but still a good overall player that would add needed depth and versatility to Arsenal’s team.
Let’s start with the shooting. This season he’s had excellent shoot positions and has turned it into excellent finishing.
There is air in these numbers for sure with 14 from 8.5 expected but he’s still added a ton of value this season with his placement of shots and I am very happy to see the areas that he is shooting from.
For his career he has not shown that he has consistently do this, he has taken 419 shots with Brentford in the Premier League and Championship and has scored 54 non-penalty goals from 50.6 xG.
Going forward, I would probably adjust my expectations for the goal scoring back towards the expected values but this is still solid production. If you want to pick a nit, and that’s what I do, the spot you would highlight is that the shot production at just 1.6 per 90 from open play this season and the last three season’s combined is just good and doesn’t excite you if you’re Arsenal
The other big plus for him is that he is a player that can provide you value, playing all over the field for Brentford. He’s been part of a 2 in a 3-5-2, as a right winger in a 4-3-3, as a right attacking and central attacker in a 4-2-3-1.
My view of the player is that I would have doubts that he is a game changer enough to be a consistent starter on a team of Arsenal’s caliber and with their aspirations but that he is plenty good to be a guy that starts occasionally and is an important depth player in the squad that wants to compete in four competitions.
There are different kinds of players, but I see him as a younger and left footed version of Leandro Trossard.
Mbeumo is going to be more forwardy with Trossard a bit more midfieldy but they are both offer versatility that is valuable in this part of the squad and good production over multiple positions.
The big factor here is probably what price Brentford would want to sell at. If this is a player available under or even at £50m it is a type of deal that I think makes a lot sense for Arsenal as they need to replace Raheem Sterling and add depth for next season.
If you want a bit more, I also wrote about him when Arsenal were linked back in the January window:
