As managers in Fantasy Premier League move to bring in Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m), The Scout looks at whether the midfielder is a good pick.
Mbeumo scored twice on Saturday and claimed the maximum three bonus points for a 15-point total, his second double-figure return of the season, as Manchester United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2.
He has now amassed 51 points overall, putting him SECOND among midfielders, behind only Antoine Semenyo (£8.1m).
Mbeumo's ownership had remained relatively stable since Gameweek 1, increasing only slightly from 13.9 per cent to 15.4 per cent by the start of Gameweek 9.
But that figure now looks set to change as managers flock to buy him. So far, 190,000+ have already added him to their squads for Gameweek 10, making him the most-bought player.
And with good reason too, because Mbeumo is in fine form. His brace against Brighton gave him his third and fourth attacking returns of the last three Gameweeks - a period in which he has averaged 10.0 points per match.
Watch Mbeumo's brilliant performance against Brighton
Bryan Mbeumo was too hot to handle 🥵 pic.twitter.com/Ux9JT3bxCX
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 25, 2025
All-round attacking appeal
The underlying statistics show that his current output is no fluke.
Across the season so far, Mbeumo sits third among all players for both shots and shots on target, with 23 and 12 respectively, while his 18 goal attempts inside the opposition penalty box place joint-first among midfielders, level with Mohamed Salah (£14.3m).
Goal-threat stats this season
| Player | Shots | Shots on target | Shots in the box | Big chances |
| Haaland | 34 | 18 | 33 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mateta | 28 | 16 | 22 | 15 |
| Mbeumo | 23 | 12 | 18 | 6 |
| Thiago | 22 | 12 | 20 | 11 |
| Fernandes | 22 | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| Gakpo | 22 | 5 | 15 | 3 |
| Salah | 20 | 8 | 18 | 6 |
| Murphy | 20 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
Scroll horizontally on mobile to see full table
It's also notable from the table above that despite not taking penalties, Mbeumo has been presented with more big chances than Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m), bettering his Man Utd team-mate by six to five.
Big chances (BC) are situations where a player is expected to score, and penalties are always considered big chances. Three of Fernandes' five big chances have been penalties.
Fernandes has the edge when it comes to chances created, as you can see below, having fashioned a league-high 24 goalscoring opportunities or "key passes". But Mbeumo leads when taking into account chance quality, topping the league for Expected Assists (xA) with 2.04.
Assist potential 2025/26
| Player | Key passes | BC created | Passes into box | xA |
| Fernandes | 24 | 3 | 21 | 1.61 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gakpo | 19 | 5 | 12 | 2.00 |
| Longstaff | 18 | 5 | 17 | 0.81 |
| Salah | 17 | 5 | 15 | 1.15 |
| Grealish | 17 | 3 | 12 | 1.89 |
| Mbeumo | 16 | 3 | 20 | 2.04 |
Scroll horizontally on mobile to see full table
These impressive creative stats are supported by a share of set-pieces duties.
Mbeumo has taken 21 corners or free-kicks this season, with a team-leading nine of those finding their target.
Tactical advantage
Dig a little deeper and Mbeumo's importance to head coach Ruben Amorim's tactical approach is evidenced in two key aspects.
Firstly, there's his positional play. Frequently the most advanced player, Mbeumo places first among his team-mates for passes received in the final third (143), touches in the final third (238) and touches in the penalty area (47).
Man Utd players' involvement, 25/26
| Player | Passes received in final third | Touches in final third | Touches penalty area |
| Mbeumo | 143 | 238 | 47 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernandes | 128 | 208 | 21 |
| Dorgu | 92 | 141 | 25 |
| Amad | 91 | 166 | 32 |
| Cunha | 75 | 126 | 18 |
Secondly, his blossoming on-field relationship with centre-forward Benjamin Sesko (£7.3m) gives further cause for optimism.
Sesko has completed more passes to Mbeumo than any other Man Utd player, highlighting Mbeumo's attraction over fellow summer signing Matheus Cunha (£7.9m) in Fantasy.
Players who Sesko has passed to the most, 25/26
| Player | Passes received |
| Mbeumo | 14 |
|---|---|
| Fernandes | 12 |
| Cunha | 8 |
| Dorgu | 7 |
| Amad | 6 |
It's not just one-way traffic either, with Mbeumo creating a big chance for Sesko in the win over Brighton.
Fantasy pedigree
It's easy to forget with Salah's record-breaking heroics last season, in which he set a new all-time points record, that Mbeumo came second in the overall player standings.
His total of 236 points was the 19th-best tally ever recorded by a midfielder in the 22 years since Fantasy began.
Indeed, it was more points than Raheem Sterling had ever accumulated in a season, and just two short of Eden Hazard's greatest campaign.
Mbeumo scored 20 goals last season - five of which were penalties - and provided nine assists, while he was rewarded with 29 bonus points.
He was a reliable performer not only for attacking returns but also for minutes.
The 26-year-old started every single match of Brentford's 2024/25 season, getting subbed off before the final whistle on just three occasions.
So, should you buy Mbeumo?
Mbeumo has flown under the radar so far, with many Fantasy managers unsure of how he would adapt to life at a new club.
But after nine Gameweeks it's becoming clear that any doubts about his potential were misplaced.
In Gameweek 10, Man Utd travel to Nottingham Forest, who have failed to keep a clean sheet so far and have conceded 15 goals.
Looking further ahead, Man Utd have fixtures against the Premier League's bottom two teams - West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers - in Gameweeks 14 and 15.
Mbeumo is a proven Fantasy performer who boasts outstanding underlying statistics both in terms of goals and assists, which are supported by team tactics which are designed to get the best out of him.
He is currently £0.8m cheaper than his team-mate Fernandes and has a kind run of upcoming matches.
He's the No 1 transfer target for Gameweek 10 and there's no reason not to buy him.