Yankuba Minteh celebrates after scoring for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, but could he joining Arne Slot at Liverpool in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Yankuba Minteh celebrates after scoring for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, but could he joining Arne Slot at Liverpool in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Images | National World / Getty Images
Arne Slot needs reinforcements in January if Liverpool are to challenge in the Premier League and Champions League
Whether or not Mohamed Salah has played his last game for Liverpool, and whether or not Dominik Szoboszlai is the long-term answer at right-wing, The Reds could already do with another right-sided forward and with their Champions League hopes still alive, the January transfer window is the perfect time to sign him.
Liverpool have been linked with yet another big-money move, for Antoine Semenyo, however another splashy signing could only further disrupt the balance of the squad. He’s also another player who could end up competing for the same space as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak or Florian Wirtz while Szoboszlai gives Arne Slot a more balanced attacking quartet.
Instead, Liverpool need to find a player who can still chip in with important goals and assists but has a small enough to spend time on the bench and contribute defensively. And Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh could be the man for the job.
Minteh the genius choice to replace Salah
Aged only 21, Yankuba Minteh’s already proven his ability to score and assist in the Premier League and is carving out a reputation as one of the trickiest dribblers in the division. In the last year, no attacking midfielder or winger in Europe’s top five leagues has created more goals from take-ons and he ranks in the top 8% for success rate when looking to beat a man with the ball at his feet per Opta via FBref.
Plenty of players are electric dribblers but it’s Minteh’s unparalleled strike-rate for turning those successes into goals that marks him out as a player Liverpool should target, suggesting his output could skyrocket if he’s supplying Isak and Hugo Ekitike rather than Danny Welbeck.
Just as importantly, Minteh can bring defensive bite to The Reds’ forward line. He’s in the top 1% of players in his position across Europe’s elite leagues for tackles and the top 3% for tackles and interceptions, averaged over three times as many per game as Salah. This season Minteh’s won more tackles per 90 minutes than Szoboszlai, Destiny Udogie and Marc Guehi, so the energetic Gambian could improve Liverpool’s record at both ends of the pitch.
At 21 years of age, he’s got plenty of scope to continue developing alongside some of the best examples he could dream of, while a move to Anfield would surely come with a significant pay rise. For that compensation he may be more prepared to sit on the rotate with Szoboszlai on the right flank and it’s easy to see how could dovetail well with Florian Wirtz.
Despite Brighton talking up a nine-figure price tag for Minteh, they’d reportedly be open to offers of £60m and for all his undoubted talent, he’s not been especially prolific this season averaging worse than a goal contribution every 250 minutes. As The Seagulls have found out with Evan Ferguson, waiting too long to cash in on hot property can be costly so they could well be tempted to sell for the right price, and Liverpool should be prepared to make them an offer they can’t refuse for Minteh, Salah’s heir.
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