Forget Yankuba Minteh, Newcastle United live to regret £30m PIF decision after FA Cup collapse

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Newcastle United were knocked out of the FA Cup to Brighton on Sunday following defeat in extra time.

The result was one thing, but the whole game was completely overshadowed by one moment of madness from Anthony Gordon.

The 24-year-old was shown a straight red card for pushing Jan Paul van Hecke in the back of the head. Brighton players immediately surrounded referee Anthony Taylor who quickly reached into his back pocket.

Gordon’s red card means that he will also miss the Carabao Cup final in two weeks time, as well as two important Premier League games. Another blow for Newcastle is that Yankuba Minteh scored Brighton’s equaliser. The 20-year-old joined Newcastle in 2023 but was loaned out for his first season, impressing at Feyenoord. Minteh’s muted celebration was a sign of respect towards the Newcastle fans who wished he could’ve been playing for them on the day.

While Minteh’s goal was one thing, another performance showed Toon boss Eddie Howe what he could’ve had if the PIF were willing to part with more money during the 2022 summer transfer window.

Newcastle rue failed Joao Pedro signing after Brighton defeat

Brighton forward Joao Pedro has enjoyed a fine season for the Seagulls so far, scoring seven goals and bagging seven assists in all competitions.

The Brazilian assisted Minteh’s goal in the first half which brought Brighton back level. However, if circumstances were different, Pedro could have been a Newcastle player.

In 2022, Newcastle were looking to bring in a new striker to the team to eventually replace Callum Wilson who was struggling with injury problems. The Magpies also had Chris Wood at their disposal, but it was clear that he did not fully suit Howe’s attacking style and would struggle to get consistent game time.

Pedro was identified as a target and at one point it looked as if he was going to join Newcastle. Even Fabrizio Romano gave his trademark “here we go” to the deal worth £30m.

However, it never came to fruition, and he stayed at Watford for another season. Newcastle officially missed out on Pedro to Brighton in 2023 and have been left wondering what could have been.

In a 2023 interview, Pedro admitted he was ‘upset’ about not joining Newcastle that summer, but it all worked out for both parties in the end.

• READ MORE: All of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United signings, ranked

Newcastle signed Alexander Isak instead of Joao Pedro

While Pedro has been a fantastic player this season, Newcastle were perhaps right not to sign him in the end considering how well they did in the transfer market after the deal fell through.

Alexander Isak became Newcastle’s record signing after joining from Real Sociedad for £63m, although he cost double the price, he has proven to be a better purchase than Pedro.

It was revealed that Newcastle snubbed Pedro for Isak, a decision that has proven to be the right one, with Isak scoring 57 goals since his arrival. Despite the decision, Howe would have still been eager to sign Pedro because of his versatility.

There is no telling whether Pedro would have also done what Isak has had he signed for Newcastle, but there was much more excitement about the Swede signing in comparison to the Brazilian.

Isak joined from an established La Liga side that had finished sixth the season before coming off a season where he scored 10 goals in all competitions and played European football.