Bryan Mbeumo
Bryan Mbeumo
Bryan Mbeumo has become only the second Brentford player ever to score 20 Premier League goals in a single campaign. No one in the top-flight has outperformed their expected goals by a bigger margin than the Cameroon star. The Bees forward has also chipped in with a further seven assists. Yet you suspect Mbeumo has not got carried away.
"With the season that I had, I'm really happy with it," Mbeumo said. "I'm always someone who says that I want to do better than I did before."
It gives you an insight into Mbeumo's mentality and why Newcastle United are among his admirers.
This is a player, in the words of Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who 'drives training with his attitude, work ethic and determination to want to get better and win'.
Only Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak have been directly involved in more goals in the top-flight this season, but you wonder will Mbeumo have an even bigger target in mind next year. And why not?
After all, one of the striking aspects about Mbeumo's career to date has been his year-on-year improvement. Mbeumo scored just four goals in his first campaign in the top-flight in 2022 before more than doubling (nine) his output the following season.
Mbeumo's campaign was disrupted by an ankle injury last year, but the forward still managed to bag nine goals in 13 fewer league games before the Brentford star enjoyed the season of his life in 2024/25.
However, you get the feeling that the 25-year-old is just getting started.
"I always wanted to play the biggest games for the biggest clubs when I was younger," Mbeumo revealed last month. "But it's easy to say, 'I want to be there'.
"You need to put a lot of demands on yourself. I've shown what I'm capable of and I'm really demanding of myself as well because I know I have the ability."
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