Yankuba Minteh has been linked with a move to Anfield little over a year since Newcastle sold him to Brighton
Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh have thrived away from Newcastle
Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh have thrived away from Newcastle(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
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As Anthony Elanga has struggled to make an impact at Newcastle United so far, it has hard to not look enviously on at both Manchester United and Brighton.
Elanga was brought in as the Magpies' new right-winger in a £55million move from Nottingham Forest and he was expected to be one of United's 'plug in and start' signings given his Premier League pedigree.
The Sweden international registered six goals and 11 assists in the Premier League last season. He has failed to make a direct goal contribution in the English top flight this season, though, since joining Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo, who Newcastle were interested in but opted to join Manchester United instead, is averaging a goal every other game for the Red Devils having scored six goals in 12 appearances.
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But Yankuba Minteh's excellent start to the season at Brighton stings Newcastle even more given it was the Magpies who plucked him out of obscurity when signing him from Danish side Odense in the summer of 2023.
The Gambian international spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Feyenoord under current Liverpool manager Arne Slot and he came back in the summer of 2024 off the back of an excellent season in Rotterdam.
Newcastle were ready to integrate him into the squad as a right-winger option. However, as they scattered around to find the money to ensure they did not fall foul of profit and sustainability rules regulations, they were forced to sell him and Elliot Anderson.
Anderson's journey at Nottingham Forest since has been well documented and he is now a regular starter for England. His development at the City Ground has left Eddie Howe feeling bittersweet. There is no doubt Howe would love Anderson back at Newcastle.
Similarly, he was reluctant to lose Minteh but Newcastle had little choice but to sanction a £33million sale to the Seagulls.
The 21-year-old has established himself as a key player for Brighton and it's hard not to feel bitterness about both situations given, in an ideal world, they would still be Newcastle players.
It arguably set Newcastle back in this summer's transfer market. Jacob Ramsey and Elanga were signed as midfield and winger options that perhaps would not have been needed if Anderson and Minteh had continued their development on Tyneside.
Minteh has three assists to his name this season and his form has seen him identified by Liverpool as a potential long term replacement for Mo Salah.
His links with Slot are obvious but Brighton would hold out for £60-70million as they do not want to lose Minteh.
If a deal is struck at that price, it would see Brighton double the money they paid for him last summer. If he did move to Liverpool, it would send Newcastle another painful reminder of just how costly, in terms of losing top talent, that PSR debacle was.
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