THOMAS FRANK claims there is no limit to how good Bryan Mbeumo can be.
So could he be the next Mohamed Salah?
The Brentford forward, 25, has scored 13 Premier League goals this season as the Bees eye their highest top-flight league position for almost 90 years.
Only Salah, Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer and Chris Wood have scored more this campaign.
Asked how good his star man could become over the next few years, Bees boss Frank said: “Good question – I don’t know.
“My job, and my coaches’ job, is to maximise every player’s potential. When you maximise potential, you don’t know what the ceiling is.
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“It’s impossible to guess. I’ve learned that over many, many years.
“We have a tendency to say, ‘ah, he’ll never make it’ or, ‘he’ll be so, so good’. We don’t really know. But what I do know is he has big potential. And we need to keep maximising that.
“He’s complete as a player. He scores goals, he assists, he creates chances, he works unbelievably hard, he’s a good pressing player.
“His hold-up play, especially in the trickier situations, has been added.
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“The precise weight of that final pass. His competitiveness in the air and those aerial duels is also something he has added to his game.
“He’s developing into being a very, very good player. And by the way he’s very good on penalties. Look at his stats.
“One day maybe he’ll leave us and then we’ll see another part of his development.
“That’s the privilege of being here for a long time. I’ve seen a lot of players grow to the next level — he has definitely grown to an unbelievable level.”
It is little surprise then that the Liverpool hierarchy are casting admiring glances in Mbeumo’s direction.
With Salah’s future uncertain, they may have found the heir to the Egyptian King’s throne.
Mbeumo, signed by Brentford in 2019 from Troyes for £5.8million, has been likened to Salah in terms of his style and impact.
The duo play in similar positions and incredible data shows the pair even score from similar places.
Stats show that Mbeumo isn’t quite as shot happy as Salah, with the Egyptian having 83 attempts at goal (the second highest in the league) compared to 42 for the Brentford man.
That plays a part in Salah missing 14 big chances so far this term compared to a far less wasteful six for Mbeumo.
Both share an ability to retain the ball – and vicious acceleration.
If Salah goes, and he continues to be courted by Saudi Arabia, Liverpool would be hard pressed to find a more fitting replacement.
Decision time
That Mbeumo is out of contract in the summer of 2026 is likely to force Brentford to make a decision on whether to sell for big money this summer or allow him to run his contract down and leave for nothing.
For now though, the rising star is keeping his focus on Brentford.
Frank added: “Bryan still has a big, happy smile. He’s laughing and joking with his team-mates. He’s training harder and focused on training.
“He has almost been unplayable in a lot of matches. I don’t think (speculation) has affected anything in his training.
“Very, very rarely do I ask a player, ‘ah, all these rumours, you probably should just focus’. I don’t think about it too much myself.
“Where it’s a problem is probably when it gets closer and it needs to be a done deal. There’s not a problem right now.”
Liverpool won’t be the only side interested in signing Mbeumo.
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SunSport understands Arsenal and Newcastle are also keen on the French-born forward.
Wherever the future lies for Mbeumo, it seems there really is no limit.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
