A Champions League winger is likely to join Newcastle United, bolstering their fierce rivalry.

 

 

Yankuba Minteh has spoken out about his ambition to play in the Premier League, with the winger likely to join Newcastle United at the end of the season after a loan spell at Feyenoord. Minteh was signed by the Magpies for £8 million in the summer, but was quickly loaned out to the Eredivisie giants.

The young Gambian winger has made an impression in the Netherlands thus far, scoring three goals and registering one assist in the league while also playing in the Champions League. Despite suffering an injury that will keep him out until the new year, Minteh remains optimistic about his chances in the near future and has declared his desire to play in the Premier League once his loan stay at De Kuip ends.

“This is a dream come true for anyone, every footballer wants to play in the top five leagues in Europe, and the Premier League is number one if you count a top division,” Minteh remarked on the club’s website.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me.” Newcastle United is a huge club with a lot of young players, which is why I wanted to come. I just need to keep working hard at Feyenoord.

“Everyone in Gambia is trying to get out of the country and play in Europe because that’s where everyone can see you and it can help you financially because you’ll get paid more than if you play in Africa.”

“These moves have been extremely beneficial to me.” I live a different life now that I know how to eat healthy and concentrate on my football. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, and now I’ve realized my ambition of being a professional player.”

As previously stated, the 19-year-old will join the Magpies ahead of the 2024/25 season, hoping to impress and potentially break into Eddie Howe’s first-team ambitions. Minteh will face heavy competition for a starting berth, with Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, and Harvey Barnes all expected to compete. If Minteh can establish himself in the starting XI, his young age might provide a platform for a long and successful career with the club – and he has already disclosed which previous and current Magpies players he has looked up to during his growth.

“Everyone wants to play in the Premier League growing up.” Minteh stated. “It’s a league that the entire world is watching.”

“I used to like Hatem Ben Arfa when he was at Newcastle, and I liked the way he played.” I also loved Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé, but now I’m looking up to Miguel Almirón, a winger like myself, because I believe we play in a similar style.

“One of my main strengths as a footballer is my speed.” I can sprint fairly quickly and enjoy dribbling, defeating defenders one-on-one and scoring goals. Dribbling is one of my favorite aspects of playing on the field.”

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Sunderland hit seven goals on November 24, 1987, as injuries prevent Newcastle from signing Niall Quinn!

Sunderland were on the mend under Denis Smith, and as Christmas neared, they were atop the Division Three table.

After a good but unspectacular start, the addition of Gabbiadini had helped to calm the ship, and a run of eight wins in nine games had rekindled supporters’ optimism.

The early November home game against Southend seemed to be a watershed moment, with a 7-0 win making a tremendous statement of intent. Three weeks later, a crowd of 6750 gathered to watch the players bang in seven again, this time in a Freight Rover Trophy encounter against fellow Division Three side Rotherham.

In these days, the first team generally played in every first-team fixture, but Sunderland were without four regulars who were missing through injury. Right back John Kay, striker Gabbiadini, skipper Gary Bennett and midfielder Gordon Armstrong were all ruled out, replaced by George Burley, Keith Bertschin, David Corner, and Paul Atkinson, the latter having been a regular for much of the season himself, but missing out on the previous game due to injury.

For transfer-listed Scottish international Burley, who, like Eric Gates and Frank Gray, was a big-money McMenemy signing, it was his first start for seven months, having lost his place to Kay, who’d arrived from Wimbledon during the summer.

The Freight Rover Trophy was at a group stage, and by virtue of the fact Sunderland and Rotherham had both beaten the other team in their group – Scarborough – both teams were through to the next round, with only the prospect of a guaranteed home game in the first knockout round at stake. And Denis Smith was taking the game seriously, wanting to ensure no unnecessary travel, and give his side the best possible chance of three points when the Millers came back to Roker Park.

Sunderland certainly took Smith’s words seriously as the lads stormed to a 6-1 half time lead, which in truth could – and should – have been a whole lot more.

In the opening few minutes, Gates failed to control the ball six yards out, while Paul Lemon, put clean through, saw his shot saved by keeper Kelham O’Hanlon. The former Boro stopper had been on Smith’s radar as a replacement for Iain Hesford, but it’s safe to say any interest ended on this night, as Sunderland ran riot.

The scoring opened on seven minutes, with Corner scoring from close range after a low Lemon cross, and the lead was doubled 10 minutes later by Burley, who drove in perfectly from 25 yards out to register his first – and only – goal for Sunderland.