Yankuba Minteh finally breaks his silence on Newcastle United selling him to Brighton with PSR admission

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Yankuba Minteh has admitted how he really feels about Newcastle United following their decision to sell him last summer.

The winger left Newcastle United to join Brighton for £33million, despite never kicking a ball for the Magpies.

The deal was done because of Newcastle’s PSR situation. Toon officials desperately needed to raise money or suffer a points deduction, which resulted in Newcastle selling Minteh and Elliot Anderson.

Both deals were infuriating for Newcastle fans. It was particularly frustrating to see Minteh go, as he had excelled on loan at Feyenoord and looked poised to have a bright future at St James’ Park.

Instead, he left the Magpies without playing a single minute. The 20-year-old has gone on to do well at Brighton, scoring six goals and providing five assists across 31 appearances.

One of those goals came at St James’ Park, with Minteh choosing not to celebrate in front of the Newcastle fans during the recent FA Cup clash.

Yankuba Minteh explains his Newcastle United exit

But how does Minteh really feel about the club that cashed in on him without even giving him a chance?

During an interview with the Athletic, Minteh admitted he holds no resentment towards Newcastle United for their decision.

“I didn’t know anything about that because I’d never heard of it, that thing, ‘PFA’, or something like that [meaning PSR],” he said.

“I just heard from my agent that they wanted to sell me. I said: ‘OK, if they want to sell me, then it’s fine. I can go to another club and try. I know other clubs are interested in me, so if I don’t play there, then it’s an opportunity to play for another team.’ I wasn’t sad or anything like that.

“All I was doing in the Netherlands [at Feyenoord] was trying to show I could play in the Premier League, because that is all I want. It doesn’t matter if it is Newcastle, Bournemouth or Brighton, but, after finding myself in Brighton, I have fallen in love with the club now. I am settled here and I am good here now.

“I don’t have anything against Newcastle. This is how football works. You go to this team, you think you are going to stay there for the rest of your life. Another team wants you, you move to another team.”

How Minteh compares to Newcastle United’s current wingers

At the start of the season, Minteh’s exit was painful. Newcastle United needed a new winger, yet had been forced to get rid of one because of the Premier League’s financial rules.

Fast forward to the closing stages of the 2024/25 campaign, and the Magpies have three wide players who are all outperforming Minteh in terms of goals and assists.

While there is no doubt that Minteh is an exceptional talent with a lot of potential, Eddie Howe’s side have coped without him.

However, that is not to say that the Magpies no longer need a new winger. That is expected to be one of their priorities this summer, with Newcastle linked with Bryan Mbeumo. The likes of Tyler Dibling and Johan Bakayoko are also rumoured targets.

What about the prospect of Minteh returning to Tyneside? Well, that is extremely unlikely. Newcastle do not have a buyback clause for Minteh, while he has stated that he is very happy at Brighton.