Yankuba Minteh’s Premier League debut versus Everton didn’t last the entirety of the first half, but you came away from it thinking this might be the start of something special. There were inventive moments on the ball, running into space at blazing speed, and making authoritative defensive actions. By the time Minteh had to be taken off due to injury, he had already given English football a glimpse of the electric talent that some had hyped him to be.
Minteh has showcased considerable highs and lows in the two seasons he’s played in the PL. There have been impressive two-way performances where he’s been an attacking force while also contributing meaningfully out of possession. He’s also shown a lack of consistent end product in the final third.
This summer has seen Minteh be the subject of numerous transfer rumors, headlined by ongoing negotiations between Brighton and Liverpool. The numbers being reported has led to discussion concerning his player value. Some have pointed out the unique data profile which may hint at future stardom. Others would contend that spending massive amounts on a winger with a pedestrian goals and assist return is an example of the hyperinflation we’ve seen in transfers involving Premier League clubs.
Arguably the biggest reason why Minteh fits the mold of the modern day winger is the explosiveness he has on the ball. When receiving on the flank, he has the top-end speed to push the ball towards the byline and get to it before his marker. The fact that he can operate on either flank makes him valuable for helping Brighton get closer to the opposition’s penalty area. In matchups with fullbacks who aren’t physically stout, he’s able to get inside position on the right side after the initial push. An example of him at his best was the assist he had on his debut two years ago.
There are times where Minteh’s preparation to set up his marker in 1v1s can be somewhat lacking. The initial touches would be wayward and ruin too much of the rhythm, making it easier for the defender to stay with him. On occasion, he can be too infatuated with going inside and not having enough variety off the dribble with the angles he takes. Part of this is because he rarely uses his weaker foot in these situations. Despite the acceleration advantage, defenders who have the edge in physicality can hold their own. However, Minteh has shown to be prolific in making quick decisions with the ball off of his first or second touch, including turning away from pressure after receiving with an open body shape.
When Minteh is able to get to the byline, it does open up his playmaking. The numbers have been formidable over the past two seasons. According to Scout Lab, he’s been in the 87th percentile (2024-25) and 78th (2025-26) for open play expected assists per 90 minutes among players at his position within the big five leagues. On the left, his burst allows him to create openings for whipped passes into the box. Last season saw him improve his accuracy on those deliveries, hitting teammates who’re crashing the far post. Via Scout Lab, his open play crossing percentage went from the 48th percentile to 69th. There was the secondary assist versus Liverpool in a 2-1 home victory from last season where the delivery was on point and eventually led to a tap-in for Danny Welbeck.
Minteh in general is an aggressive passer, which is somewhat reflected by his passing percentage being below 70% in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. He likes to play at a quicker tempo, looking to put the opposition on the back foot at nearly all times. Several times per match, you’ll see him try to combine with nearby teammates. This can include him attempting a lay off with his back to goal, and then trying to immediately dart in behind. His touch on those quick hitting passes can be off and lead to a turnover.
Warts and all, Minteh has shown to be an effective playmaker so far in England. His crossing might already be a positive given he can do it on both flanks. Being almost entirely one footed can hinder him at times, including in the box when trying to create tap-in chances for teammates on the opposite side. One area of improvement would be generating more passes through the channel in situations where he’s inverting.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Minteh’s game is what he does off the ball. He’s very active without the ball, almost to a fault. Those movements can occur from different angles, such as starting on the right side and curling inwards (including being the third man on occasion), or moving into the middle and trying to make straight line runs. There have been moments of miscommunication between him and the passer, and he can be guilty of being too eager in making runs which don’t really have much chance of being rewarded.
Despite the positives, his talent is not yet reflected in his shot numbers. Minteh has been far below two shot attempts per 90, although his non-penalty expected goals per shot is solid. Some of this might be the result of him not being able to get inwards enough with the off-ball movement, instead being tasked with running along the flanks or getting to the wide area of the box for cut-back opportunities.
Add it all up, and you get a winger who can run hot or cold on a match to match basis. Catch Minteh on the right day, and he’s getting into prime positions off the ball while producing dangerous crosses and leaving opponents from a standstill off the dribble. The days where he’s not firing can feature some wayward touches during different phases of play, and a lack of efficiency overall in generating shots for himself and others during open play.
The links involving Minteh and Liverpool this summer aren’t surprising. Those can be traced back to June 2024 when Newcastle were facing a financial crunch due to the old Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). With the Gambia international finishing a successful loan spell with Feyenoord, and Arne Slot moving to Merseyside as Jürgen Klopp’s replacement, the connection made sense. Also included was Mohamed Salah’s advancing age meant that a succession plan was of high importance.
What would make a transfer involving Minteh unique is Liverpool haven’t spent mega money on a winger as young as him. Instead, they’ve tended to look for attacking talents around their mid 20s. Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz, and the late Diogo Jota were all acquired while in their age 23-24 seasons. Go further back into the 2010s, and you get two famous examples in Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.
When Liverpool signed Mané and Salah in the summer of 2016 and 2017 respectively, there was modest hope in both turning out to be wise investments. At the time of their acquisitions, both were around the most expensive transfers in the club’s history. While those sums aren’t anywhere near what’s been quoted for Minteh, they were significant in their own right with where Liverpool were financially at the time. Interestingly, neither were a guarantee to arrive in the first place. Heading into the summer of 2016, there were reports of a reunion with Mario Götze and Jürgen Klopp. Meanwhile, the story of Salah nearly not signing with Liverpool in 2017 has become well known.
In August 2026, we know both turned out to be amazing players. Salah in particular might be the best to have ever played in England. While asking Minteh to replicate such a high peak is unfair, the hope is he can evolve into a dynamic attacking talent in his own right. A fair comparison would be looking at where everyone was at a similar age. Mané’s age 22 season was a successful debut campaign with Southampton, whereas Salah had a nice half season with Fiorentina, producing six goals and three assists in less than 1000 league minutes. Superstardom wasn’t guaranteed for either back then, but the building blocks were there.
Besides the obvious similarity of all three being impressive athletes, they shared the desire in trying to run into space. This boosted their capacity to create for others, both against a set and non-set defense. Each player also tried quite often to break down low-blocks through quick combinations. Minteh at a similar age was a more accomplished crosser, while Mané and Salah were better at manufacturing cut-backs near or inside the box due to having better footwork in the lead up to the pass.
Where things differ is both Mané and Salah had the license to roam inwards, so their movements had a greater likelihood of turning into a shooting opportunity. There was the desire and awareness to make more than one run in a sequence, constantly putting pressure on the opposition. Minteh is strong in that department, but not quite at the same level as they already were. In Mané’s case, he had the functional strength and greater capacity with his weaker foot to turn those runs into shots from different angles. There’s also the reality that out of possession structures in the mid 2010s were more lax than today. It was easier back then to walk into a few extra shots and get a boost in the overall shot count.
Mané and Salah were far more active shot takers than Minteh is at the moment. Mané was at 2.5 per 90 during the 2014-15 PL season, while Salah was at 2.9 in Serie A. Even with the added volume, the percentage of shots in the box for Mane (67%) and Salah (76%) weren’t drastically far behind Minteh’s 83%, which is impressive given how much shot volume has declined since 2015. Fast forward a year later in 2015-16 (both in their age 23 seasons), and they were double digit goal scorers in England and Italy.
I’m not sure Minteh will ever get close to the kind of goal scorer those two Liverpool greats reached while wearing red (especially in Salah’s case). Football today is a lot different from even earlier in the decade, let alone the mid 2010s. Medium to high value shots were easier to be had for proactive inside forwards. One positive for Minteh is back in 2023-24, he did have 10 goals and 5 assists in just under 1500 league minutes with Feyenoord, while taking over three shots per 90. While the Eredivisie skews in favor of strikers and wingers, it is still noteworthy for Minteh to have that on the resume during his age 19 season. We should also point out the comparisons to Mané and Salah included an extra year of development on their side, so Minteh has time to the studio space with his game (although we won’t see him back on the pitch for another 2-3 months).
Should Liverpool pull out all the stops to sign Minteh before the transfer window ends? It was much easier to see the upside behind the move at £50-60 million, particularly with how Andoni Iraola likes to have wingers who stretch the opposition without the ball. Minteh also has real upside for a pressing side because of how active he is defensively in both a mid-block and trying to force high turnovers in dangerous areas. At such a price, merely being decent would’ve been close to worth it, and there’s enough to suggest Minteh is already at such a level.
The argument becomes harder at £70-80m. While it’s still possible for Minteh to outperform such a price tag, he’d have to push on and become one of the better attacking talents in the league. There’s enough to his game to suggest that’s a possibility, but it’s far from a guarantee. Improvements in footwork and decision making would go a long way towards making the vaunted leap. Yankuba Minteh has tantalized us over the past two seasons, but evolving beyond his current level is a necessity for him to be the caliber of star worthy of such a headline grabbing transfer.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, we’d appreciate it if you would forward it to a friend. If you’re that friend, welcome! You can subscribe to The Transfer Flow here. We also have a podcast where we go in depth on transfer news and rumours every week. We’re on YouTube here, and you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify by searching for “The Transfer Flow Podcast.” If you’re interested in football betting, check out this post on why we started Variance Betting.
