Liverpool ended up not signing Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh in the summer transfer window, and Gambia teammate Foday Manneh has explained why.
The 22-year-old was seen as one of many wide targets for the Reds, but in the end, it was Bradley Barcola and Victor Munoz who arrived in that area.
Speaking to Sport Witness, Manneh has claimed that Minteh’s injury put paid to a move to Liverpool, rather than the fee that Brighton were demanding:
“Yes the injury I think even at the last days I can say some last hours of the transfer the injury was now the much concern to Liverpool not even the asking price anymore,” Manneh said.
“They were still exploring that they could go little beyond what they think they could pay. They explored again to say right now the player is injured how soon he will return and then start counting on him. That was the main challenge.
“No longer about price, it was about the injury, which was very, very significant. In the last few hours of the window, it really played a big part not convincing Liverpool to go fully.
“If it wasn’t for the injury, the Reds were willing now to raise their offer again and then go for the player considering the fact that they couldn’t have a much better option in the market.
“Yes, for me I think they could have gone for him fully if he wasn’t injured. If it wasn’t for the injury they would have got to even pay something around £72-75m. I’m not saying they could pay £80m, but I’m sure they would have got £72-75m for him, but the injury played a huge part, like I said, significantly.”
Should Liverpool go back in for Yankuba Minteh?
Minteh is unquestionably an impressive young winger, being hailed as “extremely dangerous” by former midfielder Willem van Hanegem, so it is easy to see why Liverpool like him.
He is a left-footed right winger like Mohamed Salah, making him a natural replacement, but he remains a raw footballer, and patience would be needed with him.
Liverpool should continue to pursue Minteh as a target into 2027, but it may be that there are better value-for-money options out there, depending on the Reds’ next sporting director’s stance.
The Gambia international would add directness and pass on the right flank, and while his tally of 10 goals and nine assists in 73 Brighton appearances isn’t anything special, his end product should only improve with age.