Newcastle staff thought £5.8m signing was a bargain but he made zero appearances after ‘issues’

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Newcastle United are constantly striving for value in the transfer market, as Paul Mitchell aims to revolutionise the club’s recruitment strategy.

Paul Mitchell is implementing major changes behind the scenes, as the Newcastle United sporting director alters the way that the Magpies operate in the transfer market.

Mitchell wants Newcastle to sign players from untapped markets, with the theory being that they will cost less. Those players can then be improved through coaching and loan spells, before either representing the first-team or being sold for a profit.

Eddie Howe is backing Mitchell’s recruitment change, but it is a tactic that Newcastle have actually already benefitted from.

Newcastle got a bargain signing from Denmark in 2023

In truth, that is exactly what Newcastle have done with Yankuba Minteh, who was brought to St James’ Park by Dan Ashworth in 2023.

He arrived from Odense BK, with Newcastle signing a player from the top flight of Danish football.

According to the Chronicle, Newcastle staff thought getting Minteh for £5.8million was a bargain.

They add that when Minteh visited Tyneside in late 2023 to assess an injury, Toon staff discovered that he ‘fit Newcastle’s ‘athletic profile’ perfectly’.

Understandably, there was a lot of excitement surrounding Minteh. Newcastle had signed a very young player with a lot of potential for a bargain fee, at a time when it was clear that the Magpies would need a new right winger.

Minteh looked to be perfect for that role, until PSR reared its ugly head.

Newcastle’s ‘issues’ forced them to sell Yankuba Minteh as St James’ Park return looms

While Minteh was perfect for Newcastle, he also presented the Magpies with a way to salvage their PSR situation.

Ahead of June 30th, Newcastle needed to bring in a lot of money to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. That resulted in the club cashing in on Minteh, with the Gambia international joining Brighton for £33million.

Newcastle made a huge profit on a player who had made zero appearances, which represented good business. However, it was also a disastrous deal.

The Magpies lost one of their brightest prospects due to financial reasons, with Brighton owner Tony Bloom saying Newcastle’s ‘issues’ allowed the Seagulls to sign Minteh.

He has since hit the ground running in a blue and white shirt, and Jamie Carragher has suggested that Newcastle will regret selling Minteh – even if his departure was enforced for financial reasons.

Now Minteh is finally going to get the chance to play at St James’ Park, as Brighton travel to the North East on Saturday. He will have the opportunity to show Eddie Howe what he could have had, at a time when Newcastle are set to prioritise signing a right winger in January. How ironic.