Thomas Frank makes Bryan Mbeumo prediction as Brentford boss delivers verdict on transfer speculation..
Mbeumo looking to join Ivan Toney in reaching the mark for the Bees..
The Cameroon international is the Bees’ top scorer this season with 18 goals in 33 league games.
Mbeumo needs just two more goals to have produced only Brentford’s second-ever 20-goal Premier League season. The only player to have so far reached that landmark is Ivan Toney, who scored 20 in the 2022/23 league campaign.
The emergence of the 25-year-old as one of the league’s most prolific forwards in recent years has seen Mbeumo linked with a number of top clubs, including Arsenal and Newcastle, and he could be sold in the summer.
Asked whether he expects Mbeumo to reach 20 goals next month, Frank replied: “I really hope so, because, again, that would be fantastic for him and fantastic for us.
“I think he will. I am comfortable he will reach the goal. But he needs to do it. We need to do it.”
Frank was also asked whether achieving that feat would increase Mbeumo’s market value.
“I think it’s pretty high, no matter what, if I’m honest,” Frank said. “But, as you know, he’s very happy here at Brentford!”
The Bees visit Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Thursday night, but midfielder Vitaly Janelt is out for the season after undergoing surgery on a heel injury which has been managed by the club’s medical staff throughout the season.
“It was something where Vitaly and me [agreed] the timing was probably right, right now,” Frank said.
“Vitaly has been carrying this season for basically the whole season and had done so well to manage it, making himself available.
“It has probably limited him a little bit from top performances, but hopefully that can get him back early next season. Vitaly has been a key player since he came.”
Left-back Aaron Hickey and striker Igor Thiago have been in full training for two weeks but are unavailable against Forest.
Frank said they will “hopefully” make appearances before the end of the season.
“Fingers crossed for that,” he said. “When they are training in full with the team, they are definitely close. How close, we will see in the next one-to-two weeks.”
Brentford fear Fabio Carvalho to miss entire season run-in after shoulder surgery..
Bees midfielder may be out until the summer after operation to fix lingering problem..
Brentford fear Fabio Carvalho is out for the season after undergoing a shoulder operation.
The attacking midfielder suffered a dislocated shoulder in early March and has now had surgery.
Standard Sport understands Brentford are targeting a return for Carvalho in pre-season and do not plan to rush him back during the Premier League run-in.
Carvalho had already been suffering with shoulder pain before an incident in training made the injury worse and required an operation.
The 22-year-old has not played since the 4-0 win at Leicester on February 21.
Carvalho joined Brentford in a £27.5million deal from Liverpool last summer but has only featured in 19 of their 29 Premier League games, starting just three.
On March 13, Brentford manager Thomas Frank said of Carvalho’s shoulder injury: “That is a long-ish one. A quick and good recovery could keep the return to play time down, so just in the end of the season. But that needs to be at the top, return to play time.”
But since then it has emerged that the injury may take longer to heal than first thought, and it is feared Carvalho may not play again this season.
Brentford striker Igor Thiago is on his way back from a knee injury and will return before the end of the season, but he has not yet been reintegrated into full first-team training.
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