Yankuba Minteh Player Profile

Everything there is to know about Brighton's newest signing

Brighton have reportedly agreed to sign Newcastle winger Yankuba Minteh for somewhere between £30m-£35m. Reports also claim the 19-year-old rejected moves to Dortmund, Lyon, and Everton to join Brighton.

Get to know Brighton's newest signing with this player profile.

Who is Yankuba Minteh?

Yankuba Minteh is a 19-year-old right winger who Newcastle signed for £6.8m from Danish club Odense BK just last summer. He is a Gambian international and spent last summer on loan with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, where he had 10 goals and 5 assists in 27 league matches.

Newcastle put Minteh up for sale in order to free up more space for themselves amid problems with the Premier League’s new Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Why did Brighton sign Yankuba Minteh?

Besides being a high-quality young player, Brighton signed Minteh to bring some much-needed depth to the right wing position. 

When Solly March went down injured last season, the Seagulls had no natural right wingers who could replace him.

Simon Adingra filled in admirably for March, but he’s much more comfortable on the left wing where he can cut inside, as we saw in the Ivory Coast’s AFCON winning campaign where Adingra started out wide on the left. Facundo Buonanotte, a natural No. 10, also filled in for March, and did so much less convincingly than Adingra.

Signing Minteh means Brighton now have another natural right winger to compete with March. He also ensures that the club will not have to sacrifice other players by playing them out of position, should March get injured again. 

What kind of a player is Yankuba Minteh?

Minteh is an archetypal modern winger. He starts out right and cuts inside onto his preferred left foot. He is also a very direct winger, who loves to bring the ball forward and take on defenders 1-v-1.

FBref ranks Minteh in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and successful take-ons. No player in the Eredivisie had more take-ons leading to a shot (27) or take-ons leading to a goal (9) than Minteh last season. He also led the league in carries into the opposition penalty area.

Minteh’s 0.93 goal contributions per 90 was seventh best in the Eredivisie. He also put up the 10th most shots per 90 in the league and was second in the league in shot-creating actions per 90. No player completed more goal-creating actions.

Without the ball, Minteh is a very aggressive presser. Any highlights package you see will feature him closing down the opposition and winning the ball high up the field multiple times. The numbers back this up too. 

FBref puts Minteh in the 99th percentile of attackers for tackles. He was fifth in the league for tackles in the final third.

As for his temperament, former Feyenoord manager and new Liverpool boss Arne Slot had nothing but praise for the Gambian international. 

“He certainly doesn’t lack self confidence,” Slot said about Minteh, “His willingness to give everything is enormous.”

Slot also commented on Minteh’s speed, saying “He’s incredibly fast and wants it so badly…One action, and he is gone. You will not catch up with him again.” Minteh was the fastest player in the Eredivisie this season. He was clocked at a top speed of 34.9km/hr.

After a match against Ajax last season, Slot said “Minteh ran more sprint meters against Ajax in an hour than many other boys do in two games!”

Why it won’t work

As good as Minteh is, he’s still very raw. The 19-year-old has just two seasons of first team football under his belt.

Minteh was not even a regular starter at Feyenoord during his time on loan there. The Premier League will be a big jump up for him. Plenty of players coming from the Eredivisie have not been able to make that transition successfully. You just have to look at his Feyenoord teammate Alireza Jahanbakhsh for an example of that.

His decision-making could also be an issue. As Arne Slot put it earlier this year, if Minteh made better choices with the ball, he would be playing at a higher level than Feyenoord.

In a faster paced league with better defenders, poor decision-making could be a fatal flaw.

Why it will work

Minteh fits Brighton like a glove. The Seagulls were at their best with two direct, creative wingers. When March and Mitoma left the lineup with injuries, Brighton’s attack floundered.

As previously mentioned, Minteh is an ideal candidate to play March’s role out on the right wing. If he progresses like many expect he will this season, Minteh could be just as good on the right as Mitoma is on the left.

Even if he doesn’t hit the ground running offensively, his defensive work rate will immediately make him a valuable member of this Seagulls squad.

Beyond the immediate impact, Minteh’s potential is through the roof. If Minteh reaches his full potential, he could become one of the best wingers in European football.

Final Verdict: B+

Brighton have signed another absolute gem. Minteh is one of the best young prospects in Europe, and there’s no better place for him to develop than down on the South Coast.

His lack of experience and the relatively-high transfer fee are the only things stopping this from being an A+ signing for the Seagulls.