Yankuba Minteh: Who is Newcastle United’s first summer signing and why Feyenoord is the perfect loan move

The young Gambian winger has joined the club from Danish side Odense Boldklub for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £7m. Minteh will officially join the club on July 1 when the international transfer window opens.

However, instead of joining up with his new teammates on Tyneside on that day, he will instead spend the 2023/24 season in the Netherlands with Feyernoord. Here, we take a look at everything supporters need to know about Minteh and why a move to the Dutch champions is a very shrewd decision.

Who is Yankuba Minteh?

Minteh is an 18-year-old winger who has starred for Danish Superliga side Odense Boldklub. In 17 league games this season, his first full season of senior football in Denmark, Minteh has scored four goals and registered six assists.

Eligible to play internationally for Gambia, Minteh predominantly features on the right wing but can play on the opposite flank if required. Short clips of Minteh, that have done the rounds on social media recently, show him to be lightning quick both on and off the ball and someone that is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. 

Why has he been loaned to Feyenoord?

As mentioned, Minteh will move to Feyenoord on-loan this season, rather than move to England straight away. This move will allow the teenager, who only has one season of senior football under his belt, to play regular first-team football - something that may not have happened at Newcastle.

Furthemore, the chance to play regularly away from the glare of English football and the Premier League will likely allow Minteh to develop, and yes maybe make mistakes, but he will be doing so in a more relaxed environment. The Eredivisie is still a competitive division and Minteh will be joining the reigning champions when he moves to the Netherlands - meaning he could also feature in the Champions League.

Feyenoord have a good reputation for developing young talent with players like Robin Van Persie, Georginio Wijnaldum, Darly Janmaat and Nathan Ake all coming through their system.

And Minteh, who will need to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League when he eventually moves to Tyneside, will benefit greatly from a season away playing in one of Europe’s most respected leagues, but outside the glare of the ‘traditional big five’.

What has Dan Ashworth said about Minteh?

Following the club’s announcement that they had completed the signing of Minteh, Dan Ashworth said: "We are very pleased to be bringing a player with Yankuba's high potential to Newcastle United.

"He has done extremely well in his first full season in Denmark, and he has a promising career ahead of him. We look forward to working with him in this exciting phase of his development, and we're excited to see how he performs at Feyenoord, a club that also has a strong development record of its own.

"As well as supporting the first team with players for the here and now, we have a clear philosophy to invest in emerging talent and we want to provide a player pathway that will help to build and sustain long-term success."