Newcastle United endured a frustrating January transfer window as they were unable to bring in any new signings and lost two of their first-team players.
The Magpies sold winger Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United for a reported fee of £11m, whilst Lloyd Kelly went to join Italian giants Juventus on loan until the summer.
Chronicle Live reported at the end of January that the club needed to become sellers in order to ensure that they remain within profit and sustainability rules (PSR), which led to those two moving on from St. James’ Park.
The Magpies will now have to wait until the summer transfer window to bring in any reinforcements to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad, which has faltered in recent weeks.
Newcastle have lost three of their last four matches in the Premier League, to Bournemouth, Fulham, and Manchester City, and may have felt that they needed to add to their options last month.
Despite the issues around PSR and their need to sell players, the club were linked with a number of players in January ahead of potential moves in the summer, including Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
Newcastle's interest in Bryan Mbeumo
In the middle of the January transfer window, reporter Ben Jacob told The United Stand, as relayed by The Boot Room, that the Magpies made a ‘concrete’ approach for the Cameroon international last month.
Jacobs said: “Brentford don’t want to sell, that is the first thing. Newcastle are the only team who have made any sort of concrete approach, no bid for January, but they’re looking at Mbeumo for over the summer.”
It was later reported that Newcastle are just one of a number of Premier League teams showing an interest in the left-footed sensation ahead of the summer transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are also keen on a deal for the right-sided attacker and are keeping tabs on his situation ahead of a potential swoop for his services later this year, which shows that the Magpies are set to face significant competition for the forward.
It was also claimed that Mbeumo is open to a move away from Brentford in the summer transfer window if a team with European football on offer comes in with an attempt to sign him.
Newcastle are currently seventh in the table, chasing qualification for the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League, whilst they are also in the EFL Cup final and a win against Liverpool at Wembley will qualify them for the play-off round of the Conference League.
The Magpies may need to qualify for one of those three competitions to give themselves a chance to land Mbeumo ahead of Liverpool and Spurs in the summer, and they should push to do so because he could be a great addition to the squad.
Why Newcastle should sign Bryan Mbeumo
Howe should push for the board to seal a deal for the Cameroon international in the summer transfer window because he is a proven Premier League attacker who could come in to bolster the manager’s options at the top end of the pitch.
Mbeumo has racked up 36 goals and 24 assists in 123 appearances in the English top-flight in his career with Brentford to date, having also scored 26 goals in 83 matches in the Championship.
The 25-year-old whiz has been in particularly impressive form for the Bees in the 2024/25 campaign, as he has provided a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League.
Mbeumo has scored 14 goals, from an xG of 8.30, and created 11 ‘big chances’ for his teammates, being rewarded with three assists for his efforts, in 25 starts for Thomas Frank’s side.
Non-penalty goals
0.40
Top 17%
Non-penalty xG
0.21
Bottom 49%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.25
Top 27%
Shot-creating actions
4.01
Top 29%
Progressive carries
3.41
Top 43%
As you can see in the table above, the Brentford star has performed well in front of goal despite not having many high xG chances created for him, whilst also being a progressive player in possession with his ability to carry the ball up the pitch.
Interestingly, FBref lists Mbeumo as one of the most statistically similar players to former Newcastle whiz Yankuba Minteh over the last 365 days, which suggests that the club have already fumbled their own version of the Bees wizard.
The chart above shows that they have excelled in similar areas of the game in the past year, with Minteh’s form for Brighton and Feyenoord earning him a comparison to the Premier League star.
Newcastle messed up with Yankuba Minteh
Last summer, Newcastle reportedly needed to make a major sale before the end of June, to comply with PSR rules, and decided to cash in on the Gambia international for a fee of £30m, as Brighton swooped in to sign him.
Where Are They Now
Whilst it is unclear if they had any alternative options in terms of players they could have sold, it has turned out to be a mistake by the Magpies as the incredibly talented youngster has impressed in the Premier League this season.
Minteh, who was described as “extremely dangerous” by Pierre van Hooijdonk, spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Feyenoord and produced ten goals and five assists in 17 starts in the Eredivisie, which suggested that the potential was there for him to emerge as a quality option for Newcastle.
Starts
9
xG
2.78
Goals
5
Big chances created
5
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, he has emerged as a quality option in the Premier League, with ten goals and ‘big chances’ created in nine starts, but for Brighton instead.
Like Mbeumo, Minteh is a left-footed forward who predominantly plays on the right flank, cutting in on his favoured foot to make things happen in the final third, and he has offered a similar threat – albeit in a smaller sample size.
Therefore, Newcastle messed up when they decided that the 20-year-old sensation was the player to sell when they needed funds for PSR last year, as he could have been their own version of Mbeumo at St. James’ Park, saving them millions by alleviating the need to pursue a deal for the Brentford man.
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