Newcastle United have a decision to make this summer.
While Eddie Howe is reportedly on the hunt for new attacking signings in order to freshen up his frontline options, FFP constraints may make that difficult.
Indeed, Newcastle were unable to sign anyone in January, leaving Howe unable to tinker too much.
At times, things have looked a little stale. Though the prospect of playing Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes together is hugely exciting, the options outside of them don’t exactly look convincing.
Callum Wilson consistently struggles with injury, while Miguel Almiron – for all his excellence last season – has frustrated at times.
Newcastle do at least have one exciting forward coming into the club this summer in Yankuba Minteh, though his future beyond that is unclear.
The 19-year-old will reportedly be looked at by the club’s staff to asses whether or not he is ready to replicate his stunning form on loan at Feyenoord in the Premier League.
Clearly, it’s difficult to predict what will happen on that front but his form would suggest Newcastle do have a talent on their hands, whether that be for now or for the future.
Now, some insight as to what the club told him during last summer’s transfer talks has emerged.
What Newcastle told Yankuba Minteh about Miguel Almiron during last summer’s transfer talks
According to The Athletic, the club were telling Minteh that he had attributes that compared favourably with that of Almiron’s in order to tempt him to join.
While they are believed to have stressed his finishing could be improved, the club are said to have impressed the teenager with their in-depth presentation on his skills, as well as hailing his defensive work rate.
Almiron may not be perfect but his work rate can hardly be questioned, so Minteh would appear to have the tools to act as a natural fit.
How do Yankuba Minteh and Miguel Almiron compare?
Obviously, it’s hard to directly compare life in the Eredivisie and the Premier League.
Still, it’s worth looking at the averages both wingers produce in some key metrics per game.
According to WhoScored data, Minteh beats Almiron for tackles (1.7 to 1.2), key passes (1 to 0.8), dribbles (2.3 to 0.7) and shots (2 to 1.4).
There is clearly no guarantee he’d replicate that in the Premier League but they do point to a player capable of making an impact going forward, as well as someone doing their work going the other way.
With Almiron linked away, perhaps Newcastle already have their replacement.
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