December 14, 2024


Newcastle United confirmed the signing of 18-year-old Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh from Danish club Odense.

However, the youngster won’t get a taste of English football this season – because he’s already been forwarded to Dutch champions Feyenoord on a season-long loan.

Gambian boy Yankuba is wanted in the Premier League – but his national team coach says he should stay put
According to the Danish press, Newcastle have paid between $6 million and $7 million for the speedy African starlet. It’s also the highest-ever fee the Danish club has received for a player.

Newcastle United sporting director, Dan Ashworth, confirmed the club’s strategy of bringing in the hottest young players and developing them for the first team.

“We are very pleased to be bringing a player with Yankuba’s high potential. He has done extremely well in his first full season in Denmark, and he has a promising career ahead of him.

We look forward to working with him in this exciting phase of his development, and we’re excited to see how he performs at Feyenoord, a club that also has a strong development record of its own.

As well as supporting the first team with players for the here and now, we have a clear philosophy to invest in emerging talent and we want to provide a player pathway that will help to build and sustain long-term success.”

The player has made his name in Denmark shortly after arriving from Steve Biko FC in his homeland last year. Minteh had four goals and six assists in 17 Superliga matches in 2022/23. Next season, he’ll try to make a step up to Eredivisie.

“I am looking forward to playing for the reigning Dutch champion. It is an honour to wear the Feyenoord shirt. I am grateful for this opportunity and will do everything I can to improve as a footballer.

I am sure that Feyenoord will help me achieve my goals – just as I am convinced that I can in turn help Feyenoord in its sporting ambitions.”

It will be interesting to see how Feyenoord Arne Slot uses Minteh next season. The Rotterdammers’ coach loves playing quick, attacking football and has the knowledge to vastly improve the talented youngster.

Newcastle could benefit from this arrangement immensely – and we could see only the second Gambian to play in the Premier League, after Modou Barrow, who played for Swansea City between 2014 and 2017.

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