In a bold move that has captured the attention of football fans, Brighton & Hove Albion have secured the services of Yankuba Minteh for a reported £30m. The 19-year-old Gambian winger arrives in the Premier League off the back of a breakout loan at Feyenoord, where he tore apart the Eredivisie as a lightning-fast right winger.
Yankuba Minteh is a 19-year-old Gambian right winger who joined Brighton & Hove Albion from Newcastle for £30m in summer 2024, after a single Premier League-free season at his parent club and a loan spell at Feyenoord. His route to the Premier League ran through Denmark and the Netherlands rather than the traditional academy pathway.
Yankuba Minteh's Journey to Brighton
African players often take winding routes into the Premier League. Minteh's arc is typical: he was playing in his native Gambia until the summer of 2022, when Danish side Odense Boldklub took the gamble.
Breakthrough at Odense
Initially brought in for OB's academy, Minteh quickly forced his way into the first-team conversation by scoring in his first two reserve matches. His senior debut came at home against FC Copenhagen — the country's biggest club — with the score locked at 1-1. Substituted on without his name even printed on his shirt (just the number 40), he scored the winning goal almost immediately. From that moment, Danish football took notice.
His debut Superligaen season returned 4 goals and 6 assists in 17 matches — enough for Newcastle to swoop in for around £6m before the next transfer window closed.
Newcastle to Feyenoord: The Loan Year
Newcastle had a longer-term plan. Rather than integrate Minteh into the first team straight away, they loaned him to Feyenoord in the Netherlands — a level above the Danish Superligaen, but a step below the Premier League. The bet paid off.
At Feyenoord, Minteh delivered 10 goals and 6 assists in 27 league appearances, while helping the club lift the Dutch Cup. He looked dangerous in one-on-ones, comfortable carrying the ball at speed, and devastating cutting in from the right. Premier League scouts noticed.
The Brighton Move: Why £30m?
After the Feyenoord season, Minteh expected to return to St James' Park. Instead, financial reality intervened. Newcastle, like every Premier League club, must comply with the league's Profitability and Sustainability Rules — which forced a midseason scramble to balance the books.
Lyon were initially close to a deal, but the player publicly resisted a move to France. Brighton, with their famously winger-heavy attacking system, were a far more natural fit — and Newcastle accepted the £30m fee to settle the year-end accounts.
What Brighton Can Expect from Minteh
Brighton fans should temper expectations slightly. Minteh is young, dynamic, and capable of game-changing moments — but he is also streaky. Bench rotation looks likely in his first Premier League season as he adjusts to the physical intensity. The talent is there to start brightly; the consistency will take time.
His agent has noted that in Gambia, locals knew him simply as "Messi" before they knew his real name. Whether that ceiling is realistic at the Premier League level remains to be seen — but the early returns at Feyenoord suggest Brighton have bought a player who can fit immediately into their high-tempo, wide attacking play.
Stats & Career Summary
| Season | Club | League | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | Odense Boldklub | Danish Superligaen | 4 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | Feyenoord (loan) | Eredivisie | 10 | 6 |
| 2024/25 | Brighton | Premier League | TBD | TBD |
