Champions League winger reveals Newcastle United dream and Toon inspirations ahead of 2024 move

Yankuba Minteh has opened up about his dream of playing Premier League football, with the winger set to join Newcastle United at the end of the season following a loan spell at Feyenoord. Minteh was signed by the Magpies for £8m in the summer, but was immediately sent on-loan to the Eredivisie giants.

The young Gambian winger has impressed so far in the Netherlands, scoring three goals and registering one assist in the league, whilst also experiencing Champions League football. Despite suffering an injury that will rule him out until the new year, Minteh is hopeful that he can impress in the near future and has revealed his dream of playing in the Premier League once his loan spell at De Kuip has come to an end.

Speaking to the club’s website, Minteh said: “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’re counting a top division.

“It’s a great opportunity for me. Newcastle is a big club and I see they like a lot of young players which is a reason why I wanted to join. I just need to continue working hard whilst 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 in a financial way as you can get paid more than playing in Africa.

“These moves have helped me so much. I have a different life, knowing how to eat well and focussing on my football. It’s the thing I have chosen to do since I was young, my dream, and now I have achieved that dream of becoming a professional footballer."

As mentioned, the 19-year-old will join the Magpies ahead of the 2024/25 season and will be aiming to impress and potentially break into Eddie Howe’s first-team plans. However, Minteh will face stiff competition for a starting spot with Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes all set to challenge for a starting spot. If Minteh can solidify a place in the starting XI, then his tender age could give him a platform to have a long and successful career with the club - and he has already revealed which former and current Magpies players he has looked up to throughout his development.

“Everyone wants to play in the Premier League growing up.” Minteh said. “It’s a league which the whole world watches.

“I used to be a fan of Hatem Ben Arfa when he was Newcastle and I enjoyed the way he played. I liked Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé too but, now, I'm looking up to Miguel Almirón, a winger like myself, as I believe we have a similar playing style.

“My main strengths as a footballer is my pace. I am able to run quite fast and I like to dribble, beating defenders in one-on-one situations and scoring goals. Dribbling is one of the things I enjoy most when playing on the pitch."