Manchester United finally snapped up Bryan Mbeumo this week as Ruben Amorim landed a major addition to his attack.
Manchester United’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo dragged on and on, with fans left concerned that the deal would ultimately collapse.
Mbeumo wanted to join United and made his desire clear in June, but it still took around six weeks for United to thrash out a deal.
Now fully signed, sealed and delivered, Mbeumo will wear number 19 at Old Trafford and will make his first appearance during the tour of the United States.
United may still chase further attacking additions, but landing proven Premier League attackers in Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha is an enormous boost.
Paul Merson on Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United
United were not exactly alone in the race for Mbeumo, which is no surprise given his proven Premier League record.
Reports suggest that Chelsea wanted to sign Mbeumo and tried to hijack United’s move.
Mbeumo held out for United, but one other potential move could have been appealing.
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Tottenham Hotspur were interested in Mbeumo, having appointed his former Brentford boss Thomas Frank as their new manager this summer.
Spurs couldn’t sway Mbeumo’s mind, with pundit Paul Merson now admitting that he got it wrong over the Cameroon forward.
In a video posted on X, Merson noted that he thought Mbeumo would prefer to join Tottenham.
Merson pointed to Champions League football and the ability to stay in London, believing that Mbeumo would choose Spurs over United.
Merson feels that Mbeumo has moved a long way to risk not winning anything, seemingly believing that he will struggle to win trophies at United.
The former Arsenal man added that he thinks Mbeumo is a ‘top player’ and a ‘great signing’ for United, having added goals to his game last season.
“I’m getting a little bit of stick at the moment about Bryan Mbeumo, about going to Man Utd… I said he’d pick Tottenham over Man Utd,” said Merson.
“I thought he would. I thought he might want to play in the Champions League, and he’s lived in London while playing for Brentford. I thought he might want to stay, but he chose to play for Man Utd, where… it’s a long way to go if you’re not going to win anything; better off staying at Tottenham and winning nothing.
“That was my opinion, I got that wrong. Fair to play him, he’s a top player. I’ve always liked him; I just didn’t think he scored enough goals, but last season he brought goals to his game.
“I think he’s a very, very good player, so he’s a great signing for Man Utd in my opinion,” he added.
Manchester United’s pulling power on show this summer
Merson won’t have been the only person questioning Mbeumo’s move to Old Trafford.
Even the most ardent of United fans would accept that the club isn’t exactly in its most appealing state right now.
No European football at all, never mind the Champions League, back-to-back seasons outside of the top seven… United are a long way away from the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Players like Mbeumo and Cunha are still willing to join United, though, and will have a firm belief that they can turn the club around.
United still have major pulling power, and for Mbeumo to snub other Premier League clubs just goes to show that there is still an appeal at Old Trafford.
Mbeumo will now be desperate to prove that he made the right choice and take United back to glory in the coming years.