Bryan Mbeumo has been heavily linked with both Tottenham and Man United this summer, but which move suits the forward better?
After a 20-goal Premier League season, Mbeumo looks destined for a move away from Brentford this season, with the Cameroonian forward looking for a move to a bigger club this summer. The forward looked set for a move to Manchester United earlier this month, but since the appointment of Thomas Frank at Spurs following Ange Postecoglou’s sacking, the Lilywhites now seem like contenders for his signature.
Spurs have reportedly held discussions with Brentford over a move for Mbeumo, with the player more inclined to a move to north London following Frank’s move from the Gtech Community Stadium. The Bees value Mbeumo at over £60million, so any move would see the club get close to their record transfer fee of £64.5million that they paid for Dominic Solanke last summer.
So, with Mbeumo linked with both Spurs and Man United, it got us wondering, what move would suit him better? We simulated the upcoming season with the 25-year-old in both Spurs’ and United’s squads to see how he could perform.
Bryan Mbeumo’s season at Spurs and Man United compared
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Mbeumo to Spurs and Man United in the summer transfer window before comparing the simulations for both 2025/26 seasons.
Mbeumo at Spurs
One of Frank’s key men at Brentford, the Dane instantly trusted Mbeumo to make the right-wing spot his own on his arrival, with the 25-year-old making 42 appearances across all competitions and starting more games than any other Spurs attacker.
In 44 games, Mbeumo had a fantastic goal return, with the Cameroon international grabbing 20 goals for the second season running. 16 of those came in the Premier League, while he also managed to score four in the Champions League.
The forward also managed five assists on top of his goal tally, taking his goal contributions for the season to 25, higher than any Spurs player in the simulation, or from last season. With Mbeumo in their attack, Spurs were much better in the Premier League, and they managed a much better finish than last season while also winning a trophy.
17 wins, 12 draws and nine defeats saw Spurs end the campaign on 63 points, with Frank’s side finishing in sixth place. The Lilywhites were 13 points off Liverpool and the Champions League spots in fifth, but they were 12 points ahead of Brentford in seventh.
Spurs finished 11th in the Champions League League Phase as they were forced into the Champions League knockout play-offs, and a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Bayer Leverkusen saw them exit the competition. A 2-0 loss to Arsenal ended their FA Cup campaign in the fourth round, but their success came in the Carabao Cup, with Frank’s side beating Fulham 2-1 in the final to win the competition.
Mbeumo at Man United
Like at Spurs, Ruben Amorim made Mbeumo one of the first names on the team sheets for United, with the winger making 34 appearances across all competitions, the joint-most with five other players. But, the forward was unable to have the same sort of impact as he did at Spurs, scoring just eight goals and grabbing one assist at United.
Behind the United striker alongside Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo was one of United’s best performers, but he just didn’t have luck in front of goal, with the 25-year-old having to wait 14 games for his first goal for the club. He was outscored by four players, but his average rating per game (7.2) was the second best in United’s squad, with only Bruno Fernandes (7.61) higher.
Despite Mbeumo’s lack of goals, the forward did help United improve, with Amorim’s side managing to finish seventh in the Premier League and secure a spot in the Europa League for the following season.
17 wins, 11 draws and 10 losses saw United finish with 62 points, one less than Spurs earned with Mbeumo in the squad. But, unlike the Spurs simulation, there was no trophy success for United, with Amorim’s side having disastrous campaigns in the cups.
A 1-0 defeat away to Bristol City saw United knocked out of the Carabao Cup in just the second round, while a 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion ended their FA Cup run in the third round.
Overall, FM24 predicts that under Frank at Spurs, Mbeumo will have a much better season, scoring 12 more goals than he did during his time under Amorim at United.
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