This was always going to be a huge summer for Manchester United off the back of a historically bad 2024–25 season, and their work in the transfer market so far has made it abundantly clear where their priorities lie.
After scoring a measly 44 times in the Premier League last term, United have set about reinventing their attack well in time for the new season.
While it’d be a stretch to suggest the club have conducted their business with impressive efficiency, the Red Devils have acquired two Premier League-proven sharpshooters who are capable of making a difference from the get-go at Old Trafford.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is the latest through the door following a dreary saga, with Man Utd succumbing to the Bees’ financial demands in order to finally acquire the Cameroonian, who always wanted United.
Here are the major winners and losers from Mbeumo’s big-money switch to the Theatre of Dreams.
Winners From Bryan Mbeumo’s Man Utd Transfer
Ruben Amorim
Amorim was appointed manager before the midway point of last season, and undoubtedly contributed to their woeful 15th-place finish in the Premier League.
However, the talented Portuguese coach has full backing from the club’s new-look hierarchy spearheaded by INEOS, and Amorim is aiming to build this United squad in his image this summer.
Additions in attack were paramount, especially with Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho having no futures at Old Trafford.
After making an early splash, it was clear that Mbeumo was the next man Amorim wanted in. They failed with a couple of bids, but reached an agreement worth as much as £71 million ($96 million) with their third. It seemingly took an age, but INEOS were willing to commit a considerable chunk of their summer kitty to a target identified by an emboldened Amorim.
The Cameroonian appears an excellent fit for the right-sided No. 10 role in the manager’s 3-4-2-1, with Mbeumo coming off a Premier League season in which he combined for 27 goals and assists, outperformed his expected goals by the greatest margin in the division, and topped the league with 9.3 expected assists. He’s the ruthless forward and savvy creator Amorim needs, and the manager will adore Mbeumo’s destructive ability in transition.
Matheus Cunha
Mbeumo has joined Cunha at Man Utd this summer, and the fact that both have arrived in the same window should ease the pressure on them as individuals. The burden could be reduced further if United end up signing a No. 9 before the window slams shut.
Together, Mbeumo and Cunha should make Amorim’s team more direct and vertical. These were the Premier League’s two most efficient finishers in front of goal last season, and their skill sets should complement one another while operating in Amorim’s front three.
There’s scope for this United team to evolve drastically in terms of their positional fluidity, with both players willing to function from a myriad zones. Mbeumo’s infield drifts allowed him to combine so effectively with Yoane Wissa last season, while Cunha is capable of taking on the brunt of the build-up responsibility, allowing the Cameroonian to station himself in more dangerous areas upfield.
As No. 10’s in Amorim’s system, the new arrivals will be expected to quickly develop a fruitful relationship.
Bruno Fernandes
Man Utd’s moves so far this summer point towards Fernandes, undisputedly the club’s standout performer last season, dropping into Amorim’s midfield pivot.
The superb Portuguese midfielder flirted with the No. 10 and 8 roles last season, shining wherever he was required. While a deeper role takes him away from goal, it does benefit United’s build-up play and allow the classy Fernandes to conduct his orchestra with greater proficiency.
A Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro pivot was far too often scared of progressing the ball upfield, but that issue simply doesn’t arise with Fernandes playing deeper. Some will question whether United have the personnel to survive out of possession with their chief playmaker operating from the double pivot, and the acquisition of a more athletic holding midfielder is believed to be on the club’s radar this summer.
According to FBRef, Fernandes led United with 6.39 passes into the final third, 9.77 progressive passes and 2.85 ’key passes’ per 90 minutes in all competitions last season, so it’s easy to envisage him benefiting from the arrival of Mbeumo. The new addition will be expected to finish off the counter-attacks that Fernandes’ direct distribution ignites.
Losers From Bryan Mbeumo’s Man Utd Transfer
Yoane Wissa
Mbeumo’s partner in crime has been left behind.
The Cameroonian saw his Batman in Ivan Toney depart the previous summer, before he evolved into the Caped Crusader himself while Wissa operated gracefully in tandem. The DR Congo striker stepped up to fill the sizeable void left by Toney, with his excellent off-field relationship with Mbeumo bearing fruit on the pitch.
“In different things in life outside of football, he has helped me a lot,” Mbeumo said of Wissa to BBC Sport Africa. “I used to live really close to him, just one minute away. Sometimes I was joining him at his, having dinners.”
The pair became “very good friends,” but their relationship will be tested by Mbeumo’s move north. Wissa himself has been linked with moves to Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, but Brentford are unlikely to sanction the sales of their two leading scorers from last season.
Wissa is thus likely to remain at the Gtech for what many are already projecting to be a mightily challenging season for the Bees. Thomas Frank almost always found a way of ensuring his side punched above their weight, but can the unproven new manager?
Keith Andrews
Brentford raised eyebrows when they opted to promote set-piece coach Andrews to replace the brilliant Frank, who left for Spurs.
While a valued member of the Dane’s staff and excellent in his previous position, the Irishman has no previous managerial experience.
The exits of captain Christian Nørgaard and star attacker Mbeumo leaves the new manager with a daunting task on his hands, but their impressive self-sufficiency and seismic amount they made on the Cameroonian’s sale means there’s scope for the west London club to reinvest. Feyenoord’s Antoni Milambo is an exciting addition to Andrews’s frontline.
The novice head coach has a tough first season ahead of him, no matter who Brentford are able to bring in, but at least Andrews can lean upon the sturdy foundations installed by his predecessor. They finished tenth and were 31 points clear of the drop zone last season.
Amad Diallo
The Ivorian was one of the early beneficiaries of Amorim’s arrival, as he recorded ten Premier League goal contributions during the manager’s first ten games in charge. This run was complete with a match-winning hat-trick against Southampton before a significant ankle injury sustained in February stalled his progress.
Mbeumo’s arrival does mean Amad will appear less in Amorim’s frontline, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing, given his capacity to play at right wing-back. Amad has previously said he doesn’t mind which role he performs in the manager’s system, and he’s proven himself to be an excellent option down the right flank.
There’s perhaps less scope for Amad to contribute in front of goal, but he could still develop a great understanding with the new arrival, with the pair potentially emerging as a force to be reckoned with down United’s right. If Amorim is willing to facilitate greater positional fluidity in United’s possession play, then we could also see the Ivorian rotate with Mbeumo and function from the inside right channel.
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Winners and Losers From Bryan Mbeumo’s Man Utd Transfer.
