Brighton have equalled their club-record transfer by paying £30 million to Newcastle United for Gambian winger Yankubu Minteh.
The 19-year-old has signed a five-year contract through until 2029. Brighton have taken advantage of Newcastle needing to bank cash before the June 30th PSR accounting deadline to purchase a player who the Saudi Sportswashers might have been otherwise reluctant to sell.
Minteh joined Newcastle last summer for £6 million. It was seen as an Albion-style transfer. A young player with a lot of potential who the Toon would hope to develop into a superstar, either to boost their hopes of sportswashing towards trophies or selling on for big profit.
Concerns about a future points deduction for breaching PSR led Newcastle to seek a sale after only 12 months. Their ability to do so was boosted by Minteh being one of the stars of the Eredivisie last season whilst on loan for Feyenoord.
He scored 11 times and assisted six goals across all competitions for the Dutch giants, helping Feyenoord to win the KNVB Cup along the way.
A move to Everton looked on the cards until the deal collapsed due to complications with Dominic Calvert-Lewin going the other way.
Minteh was then linked with Lyon and Marseille. Having proven himself in the Netherlands though, he was determined to have a crack at the Premier League.
And it is with Brighton that Yankubu Minteh will get that opportunity. Here is what we can expect from the new man.
Comparisons with Anthony Gordon
Whilst selling Yankubu Minteh always looked a quick and easy way for Newcastle to bank big profit on their accounts, his departure also has an element of surprise when you consider the Toon might yet lose Anthony Gordon.
Newcastle offered Gordon to Liverpool for PSR reasons. The deal did not need to be completed, however, thanks to Minteh’s move to the Albion and Elliot Anderson leaving St James’ Park for Nottingham Forest. Newcastle banked a combined fee of around £65 million.
There are now concerns though that Gordon’s head has been turned by the possibility of becoming a Liverpool player. If you were to use one of the best football betting offers on Gordon’s next club, you will find him at 4/1 to sign for the Reds before the summer transfer window shuts.
Gordon scored 11 goals and contributed 10 assists last season. That Newcastle felt comfortable enough with Gordon leaving for a Champions League rival – even with their desperate need for cash – tells you how highly rated Minteh was by Eddie Howe. Perhaps even highly rated enough to replace Gordon.
A comparison between Gordon and Minteh’s numbers from last season bears this out – even if the Dutch league is inferior to the Premier League.
Minteh averaged 10.7 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes compared to 4.02 for Gordon. Minteh produced 7.33 shot creating actions with Gordon on 3.68.
The Gambian also offers more in defence than Gordon. Minteh made 1.60 tackles per game in 2023-24. Gordon just 1.05.
Where will Yankubu Minteh fit in at Brighton?
Where Gordon and Minteh differ is in which side of the pitch they tend to play. Gordon has operated down the left for most of his time at Newcastle whilst Feyenoord used Minteh down the right last season.
Being strongly left footed, Minteh fits the profile of an inverted winger who Brighton like. More importantly, soo too does Fabian Hurzeler.
Width was vital to Hurzeler at St Pauli. His 3-4-3 formation included two wide forwards either side of a central hold up player. Hurzeler also used wing backs.
With his pace, dribbling ability and unpredictability, Minteh would appear most likely to fill the right forward position in competition with another new arrival, Ibrahim Osman.
Minteh’s tacking numbers from 2023-24 do additionally show he is not afraid of a challenge. If Hurzeler believes Minteh can be coached into offering more defensively and with greater tactical discipline, he could even end up as a right wing back.
That is a position Brighton appear sorely lacking in. Of the current Albion squad, only Solly March and Tariq Lamptey look natural fits for that role.
March is unlikely to feature regularly until at least the autumn following two knee operations. Lamptey meanwhile gets injured more frequently than Reform party candidates are found to have said something racist.
Dramatic rise and sky-high potential
The speed with which Minteh has gone from playing football in Gambia to £30 million asset is testament to how quickly he learns and his sky-high potential.
Minteh joined Danish side Odense on trial at the age of 15. Although not offered a deal initially, Minteh improved sufficiently to be signed to a two-year contract with Odense Under 19s in the summer of 2022.
He soon went from Under 19s to reserves to senior team, scoring the winner on his debut in a 2-1 victory over eventual champions FC Copenhagen just three minutes after coming off the bench.
Minteh played 17 times for Odense, scoring four goals and assisting six more. He was quickly called into the Gambia national side and has already notched three times from six international appearances.
Compared to neighbouring African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, Gambia is hardly known as a hotbed of footballing talent.
Such is the excitement surrounding Minteh though that there are high hopes he will change that. He is already considered a superstar in his home nation, as you might have noticed by the number of Gambian supporters flooding the Albion Facebook page since the signing was announced.
Fun times are going to be ahead when the club makes its annual profile picture change in support of Pride.
Time and patience will be key with Minteh
Minteh is not the first young African winger to be signed from Denmark. He is not even the second. Both Adingra and Osman have taken the same route from Superliga to the Albion.
Adingra was initially sent on loan for a year with Union Saint-Gilloise. Osman cost £17 million. It remains to be seen whether Brighton will loan out such an expensive acquisition to gain experience in a European top league before coming into the Albion’s first team squad.
At £30 million, Yankubu Minteh seems certain to feature for Brighton in 2024-25. His year at Feyenoord means he has completed his apprenticeship. The Albion will be expecting a club-record buy to make an immediate impact.
But it will also be important to remember Minteh is just 19. He has only 18 months of first team football under his belt. He will need time and patience to succeed at Brighton, which hopefully he will get despite that huge fee hanging over his head.
A reminder of what a young man he is comes from two incidents at Odense. Minteh received two separate suspensions from the club for kicking a corner flag and staying out after 11pm two days before a match.
It is also worth remembering that Brighton do not exactly have the best track record when it comes to big-money attacking players with decent track records in the Eredivisie.
Alireza Jahnabakhsh. DJ Jurgen Locadia. Hopefully, the Albion get it right third-time lucky with Minteh.
