Newcastle United fans deliver mixed 46% verdict on whether club will ‘regret’ £33m transfer

Minteh was signed by Newcastle United last summer, but immediately joined Feyenoord on-loan to develop at the Eredivisie club. The Gambian international was then sold to Brighton for £33m in order to help Newcastle United satisfy the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), meaning the Magpies netted a tidy profit, around £25m, on a player that didn’t kick a ball for them.

Minteh’s sale was an enforced one to ensure they were not hit with a points deduction, but his departure, along with Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, left a sour taste in the mouth with the club seeing two very promising young players leave to little fanfare. This weekend could see Minteh make his first ever appearance at St James’ Park when Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton travel to the north east.

Minteh has become a regular under Hurzeler at the Amex Stadium and scored his first ever Premier League goal last time out against Spurs. Ahead of Minteh’s return to the north east, the Shields Gazette posed a question to readers on whether the club would ‘regret’ selling him.

46% of respondents believe that they would come to regret his sale, even if that meant the club faced a penalty for breaching PSR. 28% believed it was ‘still too early to call’ whilst 26% believed keeping hold of Minteh and thus risking a PSR penalty would have been ‘a greater risk’.

A similar question was posed on our social media channels, with responses to that on X highlighting the polarising nature of the debate as well raising big opinions on the big issue, that the Magpies were forced into the sale because of PSR, rather than it being something they wanted to do.

@SamMT97 responded: ‘Our hands were tied and had no choice but to sell, early days but he looks like a good player so far, and fair play to him if he becomes a superstar in the future.’

@PaulWest1962 wrote: ‘I dont think you can "regret" a decision you were forced into making’

@CraigRootham added: ‘Fluid concept. Talent wise… Yes. Not getting a points deduction… no.’