Newcastle United sold Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for £33million last summer.
Yankuba Minteh has admitted his debut season after leaving Newcastle United was mixed.
PSR restrictions meant the Gambian international became the one that got away from the Magpies last year. A frantic scramble ahead of the June 30 deadline resulted in Minteh being sold without ever wearing a black-and-white shirt.
The 20-year-old arrived as a relative unknown before being sold for a £26million profit. Minteh came back to haunt Newcastle twice last season - including at St James' Park in March’s FA Cup defeat.
‘A mixed season’ - Yankuba Minteh
The winger has reflected on a “mixed” campaign after narrowly missing out on European football. However, bitter rivals Crystal Palace could give Brighton a spot should they be kicked out of the Europa League.
“I would say it was a mixed season,” Minteh said. “We had good moments, we played good football but, in the end, it wasn’t what we set out for. Our target was to push for Europe again and build on last season. Missing out is tough to take, especially with the talent we have in the squad.”
“It hurts, for sure. Everyone in the dressing room was disappointed. We had meetings toward the end where we said, ‘Let’s finish strong, let’s fight to the end,’ but we let it slip at key moments.
“The group is hungry though. We know we’re good enough to compete in Europe. That’s the next step. We need to improve tactically; our game management, especially when we’re ahead. And mentally, to stay sharp in every game, not just the big ones. That’s something the manager’s been pushing.”
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Eddie Howe on Yankuba Minteh sale
Eddie Howe maintains that selling Minteh was the best decision for Newcastle. He said last October: “In my opinion, it was absolutely the right thing to do, but it still hurts to have done it. We had no other option, and no matter what the narrative is in the future, regardless of how Elliot or Yankuba do, it was still the right thing in my opinion, for the benefit of Newcastle.
“We couldn’t breach PSR, couldn’t face a points deduction, and the only two deals we had on the table at that time were the two deals that we did. We didn’t want to sell Yankuba at all. We believed in his potential, and everything about his profile fitted what we needed. But we had to make a decision based on finances.”
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