Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott believes that the Gunners made a mistake by not attempting to sign a current Manchester United star. Walcott is of the opinion that the Red Devils player is a perfect fit for the demands of the Premier League game.
According to recent comments made by Walcott, Arsenal should have certainly landed Manchester United’s summer signing Bryan Mbuemo a couple of years ago. The Red Devils are enjoying the luxury of his service with his swift start to life at Old Trafford.
Mbeumo has repaid the faith shown in him by the top brass at Manchester United with some splendid displays on the field of play. Ruben Amorim splashed £71 million in the summer transfer window to sign Mbuemo from Brentford.
Mbuemo’s incredible form
The striker has made an incredible start to life at Manchester, bagging five goals in ten appearances for the Red Devils. In the previous season with Brentford, Mbuemo attracted attention with stellar performances for the Premier League side, taking his tally for the 2024/25 season to 20 goals.
The forward has improved in leaps and bounds from the time he first arrived at Brentford in 2019 as a teenager. The London-based team earned a massive profit when they cashed in on Mbuemo this summer. The speedy striker had cost Brentford a club record fee of £5.8 million, in contrast to the £71 million Manchester United were compelled to fork out.
What message does Walcott have for Arsenal?
The former Arsenal player, Walcott, reckons that the Gunners have missed a trick by not landing the Mbuemo. According to Walcott, Arsenal should have jumped in on this transfer a couple of seasons ago instead of letting a ‘ready’ Premier League product join a direct rival in the league in Manchester United. Theo Walcott has been quoted as saying by the Mirror –
“You have Cunha coming back and defending as well and Mbeumo who I think is outstanding.
You look at players away from the Premier League who come into the Premier League, they take time. These guys [like Mbeumo] were built for Premier League football.
I think Mbeumo has been incredible and he’s a player Arsenal should have bought many years ago.”
The ship seems to have sailed for the Gunners with the Bryan Mbuemo transfer, but certainly Walcott has left a strong message for the top brass at the Emirates Stadium to not make similar transfer decisions in the future. Things could have looked entirely different if the current Manchester United star had made the switch to the Emirates Stadium a couple of years before.