£33m forward set for St James' Park visit as Eddie Howe doubles down on Newcastle United transfer
Eddie Howe admitted Newcastle United’s decision to sell Yankuba Minteh to Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer ‘still hurts’.
Minteh joined Brighton from Newcastle for £33million in June without making an appearance for the club. The winger joined The Magpies from Odense for around £7million in the summer of 2023 before being loaned out to Feyenoord for the 2023-24 season.
A successful spell in the Netherlands allowed Newcastle to make a significant profit on the youngster, but the club’s hand was effectively forced by Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
And Howe still believes the club made the right call to sell Minteh to avoid a potential points deduction. The club also sold Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for £35million for the same reason.
Both transfers will be viewed as controversial with Newcastle effectively forced to sell two of the club’s most promising young players or face a serious punishment.
“In my opinion, it was absolutely the right thing to do but it still hurts to have done it,” Howe said. “We had no other option.
“Regardless of how Elliot does and what Yankuba does, it was still the right thing to do for the benefit of Newcastle. We couldn't breach PSR and couldn't have a points deduction.
“We didn't want to sell Yankuba at all, we believe in his potential and everything about his profile fits with what we needed but we had to make a decision based on finances.”
Minteh will likely start for Brighton at St James’ Park on Saturday. Though Howe admitted he could have been starting for Newcastle had the club’s PSR situation been different.
“The plan would have been to involve him of course if he was ours,” Howe added. “We would have utilised his skill set and the attributes he has.
“We know tomorrow coming up against him we're going to have to defend very well because he's got standout qualities. Pace, power, a lovely left foot - we're well aware of his strengths.”
Minteh scored his first Premier League goal last time out for Brighton in a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.