It is a small world. Yankuba Minteh was given his chance at Odense Boldklub by Andreas Alm, the manager who handed one Alexander Isak his professional debut at AIK. This is certainly not a direct comparison - these are two very different players - but having had to break their transfer record to sign a 23-year-old Isak, Newcastle United hope that they can potentially save millions by landing a player like Minteh at just 18 years of age for a fraction of the price.
It is all part of the club's two-pronged transfer strategy. As much as Newcastle are targeting ready-made players for the first team, such as Isak, the Magpies are also on the lookout for emerging talent like Minteh and mid-season arrival Garang Kuol before they 'explode' in value.
This will be crucial from a Financial Fair Play perspective. While Newcastle are way ahead of schedule on the field, after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in more than two decades, the club's revenues are still catching up following years of commercial stagnation under Mike Ashley.
