Having watched Yankuba Minteh regularly in the flesh this season – Newcastle United fans take note | OneFootball

The loan transfer market does not have the finest of reputations amongst Premier League football fans. Generally, it is viewed as either the graveyard for unwanted players, or the very public testing laboratory for youngsters who clubs view as merely prospects for the future, rather than genuine options for the present. It is into the latter basket that Newcastle United have dropped one Yankuba Minteh.

The Gambian winger was signed by Eddie Howe during the 2023 summer window from Danish side Odense Boldklub (OB) just before his 19th birthday – for a fee of around €7 million (Approx £6m) – before being immediately loaned to the then recently crowned Dutch Eredivisie Champions Feyenoord.

The noise around Newcastle United transfers recently has been resoundingly negative, with Financial Fair Play rules not only restricting an ability to invest further in the squad but potentially necessitating the sale of vital players. And when loan dealings have been mentioned, it has generally been in a critical sense with relation to Lewis Hall, a player Howe will need to purchase for up to a reported £28 million this summer, despite not seeming to want to play him.

Nevertheless, take a scroll through the list of players who have been temporarily shifted out of Tyneside, and Minteh represents a potential silver lining to Newcastle’s current transfer predicament.

If you had a checklist for what you wanted out of a loan move, the Minteh and Feyenoord combination is ticking every one.

Regular football? Check.

Talented manager to learn from? In Arne Slot, it’s a resounding yes.

Tested in pressurised environments? Being asked to deliver in front of 50,000 fans at Rotterdam’s famous De Kuip stadium or starting in the ferocious De Klassieker against Ajax in a baying Johan Cruyff Arena (with no away fans) answers that question.

As a Netherlands resident and frequent visitor to watch Feyenoord as my adopted Dutch team, Minteh has undoubtedly been one of the shining lights for a Feyenoord side that hasn’t been able to match the irrepressible PSV Eindhoven in order to defend their title.

Yet with Minteh impressing on the right wing, Slot’s side are still on course for a vital Champions League qualification and are favourites to win the Dutch Cup Final in April.

At time of writing, Minteh has eight goals and three assists in 29 appearances (15 starts, 14 sub appearances) across all competitions, his best return to date. This includes a first Champions League strike, as well as four goals and an assist in his last four league games, with an equaliser against PSV showing he can influence the biggest matches.

If you consider that Slot tends to gradually introduce new, young players (Minteh has only played 90 minutes once in the Eredivisie), that Minteh has suffered from some hamstring issues and that this is effectively his first full season as a first-team regular, there are several positives for Newcastle fans to consider.

In his one brief spell in the Danish Superliga, he also had five direct goal involvements in nine appearances. In terms of an attacking outlet, on paper Minteh looks a natural.

Furthermore, it is also worth keeping in mind that – such is the way now for the elite football coaches – being a good attacking player for Slot requires you to be a lot more than just a creator or deliverer of goals. A key requirement for Minteh at Feyenoord is to fit into a very specific system with very clear tactical requirements. The fact that he has gradually become an important player shows that Minteh, who played in all of Gambia’s African Cup of Nations matches, has the capacity to comprehend and execute a coach’s game plan.

We have seen plenty of recent examples of talented forwards not having the ability – or perhaps willingness – to press effectively and consistently (hello Marcus Rashford). That is not a problem with Minteh, who is very hard-working defensively.

Evidence suggests he would have no issue adapting to and learning from Eddie Howe’s instructions.

Another useful attribute of Minteh’s is that he is not simply a plug-and-play right winger who likes to cut in onto his favoured left foot. He can also be utilised in different areas across the front three, appearing for both OB and Feyenoord as a centre forward and off the left. It should be caveated that it is a small sample size, but it is still impressive for a 19-year-old to be so comfortable operating in a number of forward roles.

Yet these tactical elements should just be the icing on top for Newcastle fans.

The main ingredient that Minteh offers is pure excitement. Having sat regularly in The Kuip, you quickly see how Minteh is one of those rare players who instantly gets people on the edge of their seats. When the ball arrives at his feet, you sense a buzz around the crowd, an anticipation that something is about to happen. The pool of players who have such an effect is not a big one.

There is no doubt Minteh is raw. He can be frustrating to watch. In a way, he is your archetypal talented young winger – not all the decisions he makes are correct, yet you know that these are the lessons he has to learn and across the season the upward trajectory has been evident. At Feyenoord he has quickly moved from an impact player to the conduit through which many of their attacks now flow through.

Is Minteh ready to start week-in, week-out, in the Premier League? The answer is probably not. And there are more than enough cautionary tales of Eredivisie players failing to make the cut in the Premier League. He is undoubtedly a work in progress. Yet if Eddie Howe is set to have his hands tied this summer when he tries to dip them into a transfer kitty surrounded by Premier League financial tripwires, then keeping Minteh as a squad player would be an intelligent move.

It was reported by the i that Newcastle are planning a second loan for a player seen as more of a long-term project. Yet what about their short-term needs? With uncertainty surrounding several forward players, Minteh could be a highly useful addition to Howe’s attacking arsenal. He is versatile, tactically intelligent, defensively conscious and hard-working. Align that with the trickery, attacking instinct and searing speed and Minteh could potentially save Newcastle a lot of money that could be invested elsewhere.

It’s understandable why loaned out players do not excite fans. They are the toys on the shelf that often end up dusty and unused, before being handed over on the cheap at the next car boot sale or forgotten altogether. Yet every now and again one can shine brighter than the others and demand greater attention. By signing Minteh for such a moderate fee and providing him with an excellent loan, Newcastle have got two decisions right. The next will be crucial. He may have been a long-term project, but plans can, and should, change.

There are few more exciting things in football than seeing a young talent coming of age.

There is no reason why Yankubah Minteh couldn’t do so under the lights of St James’ Park next season.