Underrated Bryan Mbeumo excelling once again in Dream Team but tricky September fixtures loom

WHO needs Ivan Toney when Bryan Mbeumo (£3.6m) is in form?

Brentford’s No19 inspired his side to their third win in four games with a brace against Southampton on Saturday.

The Cameroon international produced an impressive all-round performance to pocket 19 Dream Team points as Thomas Frank’s side beat Saints 3-1 in West London.

Only hat-trick hero Erling Haaland (£8.8m) added more points to their total than Mbeumo in Gameweek 3.

The 25-year-old has 31 points in total which puts him joint-fifth among midfielders but it’s incredibly tight at the top of the rankings at this early stage of the season – outright leader Luis Diaz (£4.7m) is just four points ahead.

Mbeumo also scored against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the campaign and his overall tally of three goals is only bettered by the aforementioned Haaland, who has raced to seven in the blink of an eye.

The Bees’ talisman is yet to register an assist but not for lack of trying.

He’s created four big chances across the first four Gameweeks – the joint-most among all assets alongside Cole Palmer (£6.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.3m).

Had his team-mates been even slightly more efficient in front of goal, Mbeumo would be Dream Team’s top midfielder right now.

Brentford lost at Anfield in Gameweek 2 but they’ve beaten Palace, Colchester (Carabao Cup) and Southampton in what has been an encouraging start to the season.

However, Dream Team bosses keen on Mbeumo would do well to look ahead at the September schedule before committing blindly.

After the international break, Frank’s troops are due to face Manchester City at the Etihad – a match-up that rarely yields many points for the visitors.

Pep Guardiola’s side have started 2024/25 in ominous form.

Gameweek 4 also includes a Carabao Cup game against Leyton Orient but Mbeumo has to be considered a rotation risk for that fixture given he didn’t feature at all in the last round of the competition.

Gameweek 5 then brings another tricky away day in the form of Tottenham.

And so gaffers face an age-old conundrum where a player’s sparkling form makes them an appealing option but their upcoming fixtures temper expectations.

What’s clear is that Mbeumo is not a player to underestimated but recruiting a player just before they face Man City away feels counterproductive.