Manchester United has signed Bryan Mbeumo, the Cameroonian striker who was one of the standout performers from the most recent Premier League season. The Brentford transfer was pricey: a total of £71 million, with £65 million up front and the additional £6 million in possible add-ons. Is Mbeumo worth that, though? Or is the club again falling into the same old pattern of expensive hype and disappointment?
The surprise? Mbeumo's contract is set to be renewed next year, and he'd be free to sign a pre-contract in January. Nevertheless, Brentford negotiated hard and took United to the limit.
United raise the bid and seal the deal with Brentford
Manchester United started with the initial bid of £45 million and £10 million as performance bonuses. Brentford turned it down. The second bid followed with £55 million and £7.5 million in incentives. That was not sufficient either. It was only when the bid increased to £65 million upfront and an additional £6 million as performance bonuses that the club stated that it would negotiate further.
These figures were in line with what the English media had been suggesting for weeks: Brentford didn't wish to lose Mbeumo for anything less than the £62.5 million United had spent on Matheus Cunha in another recent transfer. And even though Mbeumo's contract was expiring, the club refused to back down until the last moment in trying to extract as much value out of the sale.
Negotiations lasted for weeks. During that time, Mbeumo was scouted by other clubs but always had a soft spot for Manchester United. The 25-year-old forward played in all 38 Premier League games, scoring 20 goals and providing 8 assists — incredible numbers for a player at a mid-table club.
Why United persisted
This was not a last-minute choice. Manager Rúben Amorim, as reported by the British press, had been intent on getting Mbeumo since the opening of the transfer window. There were other players that the club had in mind, but Brentford's striker was always the target.
It's hard to talk in exact terms about the tactical logic of the choice, but one cannot doubt that Mbeumo was one of the most stable players of the last season. He appeared in every game and gave good statistics — all representing modest Brentford, which finished 10th.
With a desperate urgency to strengthen the attack, United dared not risk another mistake. Shelling out from the checkbook was the only serious option remaining. The fans are tired of empty gambles that fail to materialize. This time around, the call for a player with real production was business as usual.
Amorim is an exception, and Mbeumo was his target. That could prove to be worth it. If a coach and player are aligned at the outset, more often than not everything tends to fall into place. But only time will tell.