After a massive transfer blow in Paris, Andoni Iraola has fixed his eyes on an unlikely Premier League redemption arc. Inside Liverpool’s shock winger hunt.
The emotional farewell waved to Mohamed Salah in May was always going to leave a void at Anfield. Departing the club as an undisputed modern icon, having helped Liverpool capture eight major honours while securing his place as third on the club’s all-time top goalscorers list, the Egyptian King’s exit has triggered the most daunting recruitment challenge the club has faced in a generation.
Replacing that level of world-class output from the right flank was never going to be simple. The club’s initial blueprints have already suffered a high-profile setback, with primary summer target Yan Diomande making it explicitly clear that his preference lies with a blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain instead.
With Diomande actively in talks with the French giants, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and sporting director Richard Hughes have been forced to widen their net.
While PSG’s elite wide-man Bradley Barcola remains a plum pick on the shortlist, his most devastating work comes off the left wing a position where Liverpool are already well-stocked.Consequently, Hughes has drawn up a list of alternative contingencytargets.
The unlikely alternative: Why Yankuba Minteh fits the bill
While Barcola dominates the headlines, journalist David Lynch has suggested an intriguing tactical curveball. Speaking on the Anfield Index YouTube show, Lynch evaluated a specific trio of young wide players currently under consideration by the Anfield hierarchy: Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Cologne’s Said El Mala, and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.
Surprisingly, Lynch highlighted the Gambia international as the most logical tactical fit for Iraola’s looming system, despite the 21-year-old enduring a testing campaign on the south coast.
“I think of that kind of trio that I definitely know that they’re interested in, in terms of Fernandez-Pardo, El Mala and Minteh,” Lynch explained. “I have to say the one I lean towards, and he probably had the least impressive season of the three, actually, is probably Minteh.”
Lynch pointed directly to the forward’s raw profile as the primary reason he stands out from the pack.
“Minteh is probably a better profile fit, obviously a left footer on the right-hand side, got Premier League experience.”
Unlocking the numbers: The Iraola factor
On paper, Minteh’s raw statistics from the 2025/26 campaign at the Amex Stadium do not immediately scream “Salah replacement.” The youngster managed just seven goal contributions comprising three goals and four assists across his 34 appearances for the Seagulls.
However, Lynch argues that those figures are more a reflection of Brighton’s tactical constraints than the player’s actual ceiling, confidently predicting that a move to Merseyside would see his offensive productivity soar.
“He didn’t have a great season last season in terms of output,” he admitted. “I think the way Brighton play may hamstring him a little bit. He’s very much pushed out quite wide rather than getting into goal-scoring central positions.”
Under Iraola’s aggressive, hard-pressing philosophy, Minteh’s high defensive work rate and explosive athletic profile could make him a devastating asset.
“I think in a kind of Iraola system, I can easily see how his numbers would upscale,” Lynch added. “He also works incredibly hard off the ball. His defensive numbers are great.”
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“I think it’s tough pickings really,” Lynch noted when analyzing the post-Diomande landscape. “That’s why I’m really wedded to the idea that you go and get Barcola if you can. But if they had to move down the list, I think he [Minteh] would be quite high up for me.”
Richard Hughes isn’t keeping all his eggs in one basket. In true FSG fashion, whispers are growing louder that Liverpool are positioning themselves to hijack a £50 million winger deal that bitter rivals Manchester United had long believed they had entirely wrapped up.
The post-Salah rebuild was never going to be seamless, but as the summer window intensifies, Liverpool’s multi-layered strategy is beginning to take definitive shape.