Never mind Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford are ready to sign his £26m genius replacement

Bryan Mbeumo’s impressive displays over the past couple of seasons have, inevitably, caught the eye of a few teams further up the table, with the rumour mongers starting to mutter about a move to Liverpool – but whether that’s true or not, it’s not unreasonable to expect Brentford to find themselves fielding offers for the 24-year-old in the near future. Losing Mbeumo would be bad news for the Bees, but happily they may already have a replacement lined up…

Given that he’s only just turned 18, it’s fair to assume that Assane Diao has a lot of development ahead of him, but he’s already an extremely handy player and has established himself as a regular in Real Betis’ first team. Now Sky Sports are reporting that the young Spaniard has found himself on Thomas Frank’s radar. It would be a very exciting capture for Brentford if it happens.

Diao burst onto the scene at the start of the season with three goals in his first three senior appearances for Betis, a run which included a superb strike against Granada, a left-foot shot lashed inside the near post from outside the box after an electric run at the defence – a great goal, with the ferocity of the strike belying the fact that he isn’t even left-footed. That lightning start also earned him an early-season placing in our weekly Wonderkid Power Rankings, which is almost as good as winning the Kopa Trophy at this point.

Capable of playing on both flanks or up front, Diao has been starting on the right-hand side for Betis this season and has been hugely impressive, especially in the final third. He’s now up to four goals in all competitions off a combined xG of 2.5, which underlines how good his finishing seems to be, as if the eye test wasn’t enough. His confidence in front of goal and composure under pressure from defenders are hugely impressive for a teenager.

He’s far more than just a goal-scorer, though, and has both a good passing range and the knack of beating his man with the ball at his feet. His technique is impressive, and his physicality even more so – he’s fast, agile, well-balanced and, unusually for a wideman, good in the air and fairly tall at a shade over six feet. He has the look of a player who will hold his own again more physical full-backs.

Even better for Brentford – or for Betis, if he ends up staying – is that he’s a genuine team player who’s hugely effective in a high press, averaging nearly three turnovers per game and chipping in with plenty of tackles, blocks and interceptions, all while showing the ability to read the game and close down passing angles. He’s a headache for the opposition both with and without the ball, and a well-rounded player like that is a rare thing.

Of course, given his age, there are some rough edges to polish. He still makes too many bad decisions with the ball and often dribbles when he should pass, and his confidence is such that he tends to back himself a little too quickly in low-percentage scenarios. He also needs to be better at finding space off the ball to receive passes from his team-mates, and that willingness to get in defenders’ faces means he almost marks himself at times, getting too close to defenders when he should be looking for room.

If he can learn to run off the ball at the right moments and play the percentages when he gets possession, he will become a hugely formidable threat. As the teams on the receiving end of his goals will attest, of course, he already is.

It will probably take a couple of years before he’s able to perform with the same consistency as a player like Mbeumo, but he has all the tools at his disposal to be a top Premier League player – and that, of course, means that Brentford won’t be the only suitors. Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all cropped up in reports of varying credibility, but Brentford will likely be able to offer a quicker path to first-team football. That may well help them to appeal to a talented young man if he decides to leave Betis.

It is by no means clear that he will. He signed a contract extension that ties him to Betis until 2027 in the summer, although it comes with a relatively modest minimum fee release clause of €30m (£26m), which gives him some bargaining room if he wants to push to take the next step. Neither player nor club likely expected Diao to be getting so many minutes or doing so well when that deal was inked, so Diao may well opt instead to use the interest to push for a new deal.

There are alternatives – Johan Bakayoko, a 20-year-old Belgian winger playing with PSV Eindhoven, is also reported to have caught Brentford’s attention, and the club even had a club record bid of around €35m (£30m) accepted by PSV at the end of the summer transfer window, only for Bakayoko to decide against the transfer.

Bakayoko has been hugely impressive since breaking into PSV’s first team last year, scoring seven goals in 38 league games so far. He looks less dangerous in the box than Diao, but is currently more efficient with the ball at his feet and links up play exceptionally well – although, of course, he has had another couple of years of development behind him to get to that point. Diao may well have better raw materials to work with, but Bakayoko is closer to being able to replace Mbeumo like-for-like in the starting line-up. Of course, they’d have to persuade him to make the move, and it isn’t clear what made the youngster decide not to leave the Netherlands.

Brentford’s recruitment has been excellent over the past few years, so whoever they go for, it’s a safe bet that they’ll make the right choice – and if they’re keen on Diao, it’s a very good endorsement for a young player who looks likely to go a very long way indeed. If he rocks up at the Brentford Community Stadium this January, as Sky Sports think may happen, it will be a very exiting acquisition for a club who do a lot of smart business.