Odense BK winger Yankuba Minteh is keen on a move to Newcastle United but work permit issues means the Gambian starlet will have to wait to make his mark in the Premier League.
Nicknamed ‘Messi’ due to his jinking stride and lovely left foot, Minteh made no secret of his interest in a summer move to St James’ Park back in April.
I am ready to take the next step. It will only be good for me,” the teenager smiles.
“Of course, I want to go to Newcastle. It’s a big club in the Premier League and they’re doing something good. They are fighting for a place in the Champions League.”
It’s a fight they seem to be winning. Sunday’s 3-1 win over Southampton was not quite a knockout blow as far as their top four ambitions are concerned. But Newcastle appear now have one foot and at least three toes in the Champions League.
Minteh, however, will have to be patient if he does indeed join the likes of Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak and Nick Pope on Tyneside. The 18-year-old forward, who has two goals and three assists in nine Danish Superliga games this term, is likely to move out on loan – possibly to Portugal, Belgium or the Netherlands – before potentially making his mark in black-and-white somewhere down the line.
“There are some rules that all agents are aware of,” agent Bakary Bojang tells ViaPlay. “As it looks, Yankuba does not have enough (work permit) points to play in the Premier League right away.
“If he ends up in the Premier League, it is clear that he cannot play straight away. Then, it will require a loan.”
Minteh, like fellow teenager Garang Kuol, would arrive at Newcastle under Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth; a manager and a sporting director renowned for their excellent track record with young players.
Tony Hermansen, the head of Odense’s academy, believes Minteh is a footballer of ‘extraordinary’ talent. A player with an almost Allan Saint-Maximin-esque ability to levitate the crowd out of their seats.
“It’s fantastic,” Hermansen tells Tipsbladet. “That’s the crazy thing about football. We’re talking about an 18-year-old who comes up and becomes a crowd favourite.
“He has some extraordinary qualities such as his speed. He catches the eye because something happens when he has the ball. At the same time, he has got something defensive in his game without taking the offensiveness away from him.
“Therefore, he is a player with huge potential.”
