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With the summer transfer window around the corner, Daniel Levy has already started putting plans into place to ensure that the North Londoners bring in some ceiling-raising players into the roster at Hotspur Way, and among the marquee players linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Bryan Mbeumo stands out.
The Brentford forward has been rumoured with a Spurs transfer for a while, and he is one of the expected players who would leave Brentford in the upcoming transfer window. The Bees are expected to let go of him and his striking partner, Wissa, and the North Londoners are expected to be in the race for both of them, but the Cameroonian is someone who can single-handedly change the fortunes of Tottenham.
Debt at Tottenham…
The Lilywhites will have to fork out somewhere along the range of £60m if they were to sign Mbeumo in the upcoming summer transfer window. But if we are talking prices, then there have been concerns around the North Londoners speaking power in the off-season given that the club currently has a £279m debt, which means that Daniel Levy will have to sanction some transfers away before trying to buy players. But we could see the finances at Hotspur Way handed a massive boost if Tottenham are to go all the way in the Europa League, where they face Premier League rivals Manchester United in the finals in about a fortnight’s time. If the North Londoners are to beat United in the finals, then Daniel Levy will end up recognising a £15.7m income in prize money for qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Many would think that £60m is a hefty sum, but when we consider the quality that Mbeumo brings, he could end up being a bargain at that price point.
Given that the North Londoners have struggled in the offensive department this season, there is a need for a new forward, but let’s look at the two problems that Ange’s side has faced this season. If we are looking at the attacking aspects of the game, we saw how the side lacked clinical firepower in the final third. Heung-Min Son has been misfiring all season, and then Solanke is yet to find his stride in the Lilywhites’ colours. So when the chances ended up coming through, they were more often than not faltered.
Another thing that we saw the North Londoners struggle with all season was the creative aspects of the game. Mainly when the opponents sit back in a mid-low hybrid block, Spurs struggled to create opportunities.
Now how can Mbeumo solve these aforementioned problems?
The Cameroonian is one of the most clinical presences in front of goal in the English top tier, with many likening him to Mohamed Salah. He has shown capabilities to change the game in a series of moves and has taken the goal-scoring baton for his employers this season. His 18 goals completed from a 10.82 xG speak a lot about his shot completion rate.
Then if we look at his creativity, now he will not solve your problems in a pure creative role, but he is someone who likes to drop off and lay passes into the open channels. In a block situation, he will mostly use his linkup play to make a difference.
What other traits does he bring to the side?
But beyond the obvious metrics of finishing and link-up play, what sets Mbeumo apart is how naturally he fits into the tactical identity that Ange Postecoglou demands from his wide forwards. The Cameroonian thrives in a transition-based system that asks its wingers to press with intensity and make diagonal runs off the ball while carrying a dual responsibility in both phases of play. His work rate out of possession is something really good, given how Mbeumo is often Brentford’s first pressing trigger, forcing turnovers in the opposition’s first phase and immediately converting defence into attack. This alone has the ability to elevate the Lilywhites’ ability to pin teams back, especially in the games where control is established but final-third penetration has been lacking. He is also highly intelligent with his off-ball movement, frequently pushing himself into half-spaces (a zone Tottenham have struggled to exploit consistently this season).
In Postecoglou’s system that prioritises 2-3-5 build-ups and layered positional rotations, Mbeumo offers the tactical maturity to operate wide, come inside as a secondary striker, or even play centrally (when needed), giving Spurs exactly the kind of multi-functional attacking outlet that the North Londoners have been missing since Harry Kane’s departure.
Author Opinion
Tottenham should definitely put their hat into his signing given that there would also be other big clubs interested in his signatures. But if Levy is to sign him, he would be that marquee player that the club is looking for in the aftermath of Harry Kane’s departure and a possible Son departure.
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TODAY'S BEST
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The Big Five: Most dangerous teams currently outside the playoff picture
With just a week until Thanksgiving, the NFL playoff picture is beginning to take shape. But seven weeks remain in the regular season, giving teams on the outside looking in time to turn things around. Below, we rank the five most dangerous teams currently not in the playoff field. 5. Houston Texans (5-5, eight in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 40-31 (.563) • Currently in playoff field: 4 • Above .500: 4 With a defense as good as Houston's, it can't be taken lightly despite a brutal remaining schedule. Over the Texans' final seven games, they only play two teams currently with a losing record — the Arizona Cardinals (3-7) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-8). With C.J. Stroud (concussion) out for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills (7-3), the team's hopes of remaining in contention will be even tougher. But Houston has won its past two games with Davis Mills at quarterback, thanks in large part to a defense allowing 221 yards per game. The Texans have the league's longest active streak of holding opponents under 200 passing yards (seven games), per Stathead research. In addition to the Bills, the Texans play the Indianapolis Colts (8-2) twice, Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), teams that can put up points. Houston, which is No. 21 in scoring offense (22 points per game), likely won't be able to keep pace in shootouts — even when Stroud returns — so it must lean on the defense to complete the long trek from 0-3 to the playoffs. 4. Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1, 10th in NFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 35-38 (.479) • Currently in playoff field: 2 • Above .500: 3 While we can't glean much from Dallas' convincing Monday night win over the directionless Raiders, it was still telling that the defense, a sore spot all season, kept an inept Las Vegas attack from having a season-best performance. Among the five teams listed here, the Cowboys have the easiest remaining strength of schedule, with more games against teams with losing records (three) than those in the playoff field (two). Their next three games — against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), Chiefs and Detroit Lions (6-4) — will inform how heavily Dallas factors into the playoff race through December. But for a team that seemingly had no hope following a Week 9 loss to the Cardinals, Dallas could be feistier down the stretch than most predicted. 3. Detroit Lions (6-4, eighth in NFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 37-32-2 (.521) • Currently in playoff field: 4 • Above .500: 4 Sunday's game against the New York Giants (2-9) is almost a must-win considering what lies ahead for Detroit. Over its final five games, it plays the Green Bay Packers (6-3-1), Los Angeles Rams (8-2), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) and Chicago Bears (7-3) plus the division-rival Minnesota Vikings (4-6). The Lions, who rank in the top five in total offense and defense, are more than capable of holding their own against stiff competition, although injures (particularly to the offensive line) have made them more vulnerable than the past two seasons, when they reached the NFC Championship Game (2023) and claimed the conference's No. 1 seed (2024). 2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-5, ninth in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 36-35-1 (.500) • Currently in playoff field: 3 • Above .500: 3 ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently laid out a convincing argument why this year's Chiefs squad isn't much different from last year's team that went 15-2. Other than a staggering regression in one-score games and special teams lapses, Kansas City is good enough to go on a run and crash the playoffs. The Chiefs' toughest remaining games (Colts, Chargers, Broncos) are at home. They also have a head-to-head with the Texans at Arrowhead. It's far too early to write Kansas City's obituary. The AFC West might be out of play, yet NFL Next Gen Stats still gives the Chiefs a 52 percent chance of making the playoffs. However, NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri noted in a recently column that Kansas City's odds will drop to less than 33 percent with a loss this Sunday to Indianapolis. 1. Baltimore Ravens (5-5, 10th in AFC) Remaining opponents stats | Record: 35-35-1 (.493) • Currently in playoff field: 3 • Above .500: 4 The Ravens are just one game out of first in the AFC North and have the New York Jets (2-8) and Cincinnati Bengals (3-7) on the schedule before the first of two games with the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4). By the end of the first weekend in December, Baltimore, which has won four in a row following a Week 7 bye, could easily be in pole position for a third straight AFC North title.
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