Yankuba Minteh: Brighton’s Rising Star

Yankuba Minteh is rapidly establishing himself as one of Brighton’s breakout talents. With his incredible speed, audacious dribbling skills, and improving contributions in front of goal, the Gambian winger seems poised to follow in the footsteps of Moises Caicedo, potentially becoming the Seagulls’ next significant transfer profit.

Under the stewardship of Tony Bloom, Brighton has built a strong reputation for acquiring players at low costs and selling them for substantial profits, often to Chelsea. Moises Caicedo’s transfer to the London club for £115 million, just two and a half years after moving from the South Coast for £4 million, set a British transfer record—until this summer’s deals altered that.

Manchester United had expressed interest in signing Carlos Baleba, believed to be Caicedo’s replacement, prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. However, the price quoted was deemed excessive by Ruben Amorim’s team.

Since then, Baleba’s performance has dipped, but Brighton still possesses several players likely to fetch hefty fees. Currently, Yankuba Minteh, at 21 years old, stands out as the most probable candidate.

Fearless on the Offensive Front

Former Brighton player Marc Cucurella may currently be regarded as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League, yet he faced significant challenges when Chelsea encountered Fabian Hurzeler’s squad earlier this season.

Reduced to ten men after Trevoh Chalobah received a red card, Enzo Maresca took a risk by introducing defenders Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, and Josh Acheampong alongside defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.

This defensive posture played right into Minteh’s strengths. In the 77th minute, his precise cross found Danny Welbeck, leveling the score to 1-1. Thus began a scoring spree, concluding with Brighton triumphing 3-1.

Although Welbeck netted two goals and garnered the headlines, it was Minteh who clearly emerged as Brighton’s principal creative force, notching up 12 touches inside the Chelsea area, completing two successful dribbles, and losing possession just once.

In a broader context, Minteh is noted for his frequent dribbling, ranking third in the Premier League for distance achieved via progressive carries, totaling 852.3 meters from 63 successful attempts, averaging 13.5 per 90 minutes.

It’s no surprise that he leads most attacking metrics for Brighton in the league, having created the highest number of chances (12), the most successful dribbles per 90 minutes (2.9), and, crucially, being responsible for three goal contributions (two assists and a goal).

Impressive Defensive Work Rate

While his attacking prowess is evident, one of the most underrated qualities of Minteh’s game is his dedication to defensive duties—a commitment that many wingers often overlook.

Significantly, Minteh has registered the most successful ground duels at Brighton in the Premier League, winning 39 out of 72 attempts—12 more than his nearest challenger, defensive midfielder Yasin Ayari.

His defensive statistics stand out even further. In his seven Premier League appearances thus far, Minteh has completed 12 tackles, executed 29 recoveries, made six interceptions, and reclaimed possession in the final third on four occasions. Such numbers would be the envy of many full-backs.

The Future for Minteh

Following a decent, albeit understated, previous season (2025-25), this season is shaping up to be a breakout year for the Gambian talent. Newcastle, after selling him for a reported £30 million to resolve their financial issues, have set a much higher price tag for any potential sale from Brighton.

With only a few clubs globally capable of meeting a potential £100 million asking price, and most of them located in the Premier League, Chelsea could soon be in contention given their established trading relationship with Brighton.

A move to Liverpool would be a logical step forward for Minteh. With Mohamed Salah approaching the latter stages of his career and seeing a decline in his offensive output, acquiring a dynamic winger like Minteh would complement their more attack-oriented full-backs.

In Summary

Minteh’s most productive season in terms of scoring came during his time at Feyenoord, where he netted 11 goals and provided five assists. Should he join a top-tier club for a significant transfer fee, he will need to enhance those figures, ideally reaching double digits for both goals and assists.

Still young and showing signs of progression with each match, it wouldn’t be a shock if Minteh departed Brighton for a record transfer fee in the near future.