A former Chelsea striker has given a firm seal of approval to one player who’s been linked with Liverpool in recent days.
L’Equipe reported last week that Bryan Mbeumo is ‘courted’ by the Reds, and Tony Cascarino seems to think that the Brentford attacker would be a tremendous addition to Arne Slot’s squad.
The 61-year-old told talkSPORT (2 June, 8:50): “Yes, absolutely, love it. I mentioned him over the course of the season.
“What is he now? 24 or 25? I love his pace. I love his directness. I love his goal contributions. He’s got loads of time (to improve). He’s a similar sort of age when Salah joined Liverpool.
“I love him. He’s durable as well. I know he got injured this year, but normally he has been reliable and you can use him in different ways. A good finisher.”
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Mbeumo ended the season with nine goals in 25 Premier League games for Brentford, a tally which could easily have surpassed a dozen had he not missed three months with an ankle injury, while he also laid claim to six assists (Transfermarkt).
That was a fine return for someone who featured for the team which finished 16th in the table, so imagine the numbers that the 24-year-old could rack up in an uninterrupted campaign for a Liverpool side challenging at the summit.
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As Cascarino referenced, the Cameroon international is in the same mid-20s age bracket as Sadio Mane and Mo Salah when they joined the Reds in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and they both also had exposure to the English top flight prior to their Anfield moves.
If the Egyptian stays put at LFC amid a resurrection of links with the Saudi Pro League, Mbeumo would make for a more than useful understudy. If our current number 11 were to depart this summer, his fellow African winger could be an ideal candidate to fill the void on the right flank.
If Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes agree with Cascarino’s assessment of the Brentford attacker, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a transfer offer making its way from Merseyside to west London over the next few weeks.