Why Liverpool are willing to look beyond Yankuba Minteh’s poor goals and assists record
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Liverpool fans are finding it hard to get excited by the Reds’ out-of-the-blue offer to sign Yankuba Minteh from Brighton on Thursday.The Gambian fits the bill in that Liverpool need wingers to help add pace and verve to the forward line, but a quick glance at his output in the Premier League suggests he is not up to the standard required.Minteh has just nine goals and eight assists across his two seasons with Brighton, and scored a paltry three times last term. But while this would clearly need to improve at Liverpool, fans should look deeper into his statistics to see why he could be a success at Anfield.
Crucially, there also needs to be pace involved.Though he could certainly do with finding the net more often, Minteh does tick all of those boxes in a big way.Firstly, though he is more used to playing on the right and cutting in onto his left foot, the 22-year-old has also featured a lot for Brighton on the left.READ MORE: How Liverpool’s squad to start the 2026/27 Premier League season compares with last year is startlingHe is as happy going down the line and putting a ball across with his stronger foot than he is jinking past defenders into more central areas.With Bradley Barcola clearly the top Liverpool target for the left wing, the Reds do need someone on the right more often, though, and Minteh would definitely fit that remit.He is also a better than average dribbler, posting a very healthy 53.7% success rate in the Premier League last season. He loves to take defenders on.Minteh is also a duel winner, with his 162 wins putting him in the top 9% of forwards in the Premier League last season.
Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty ImagesHe touches the ball in the opposition box an awful lot, and while this suggests he absolutely should be scoring more goals, the former Newcastle man is getting in the right areas.At 22, there is a lot to like about Minteh beyond the basics, and he is going to get even better. Anyone who watches any short clips of the Gambia international can see just how quick he is both off the mark and over longer distances, and when you add his dribbling qualities and desire to win the ball back into that, you start to see how he could fit in at Liverpool under Iraola.His current injury added to his lack of output has put a lot of Reds fans down on the prospect of his arrival, but once he is fit, Minteh would add plenty to a forward line which is being drastically revamped.It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will come back in after seeing a £50m bid turned down by Brighton.