Minteh’s Bold Top Five: Mane Tops, Salah Snubbed as Liverpool Looms

Yankuba Minteh has tossed a live grenade into the Premier League’s never-ending bar-room debate, anointing his top five African players to grace England’s top flight — and he’s pointedly left Mohamed Salah off the list. For a 22-year-old Brighton winger reportedly on Liverpool’s radar in a deal that could top £60 million, that’s some statement.

The set-up: a rising star, a massive move, and a spicy opinion

Minteh, who has clocked up 73 Premier League appearances since swapping Newcastle for Brighton in 2024, was quizzed by BBC News Africa to name his all-time African five from the Premier League era. With Liverpool short on wide options and scouring the market for fresh legs, he’s said to be high on their wishlist — and this take won’t exactly be music to Kop ears.

Minteh’s five, from flair to heavyweight icons

At No 5, he’s gone for Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus — a nod to a modern match-winner with trickery to spare and a real appetite for the team game. It’s a pick that tells you Minteh values players who can both dazzle and graft.

Fourth is Samuel Eto’o. Premier League cameos or not, Eto’o’s legend needs no explaining: elite movement, ruthless finishing, and a standard-bearer for the continent.

Third, the Chelsea titan Didier Drogba — the very definition of big-moment centre-forward play. Physical, clutch, and a nightmare for defenders who fancied a quiet afternoon.

Runner-up is Michael Essien, the midfield locomotive. Minteh’s admiration for Essien’s engine and aggression says plenty about what he prizes in a team: authority without the fuss, dominance without the drumroll.

Top of the pile? Sadio Mane. Minteh lauds the work-rate, the directness, the relentlessness — the sense that even on an off day, Mane finds a way to matter. For a winger eyeing Anfield, there’s symmetry in that choice.

The Salah snub that will echo on Merseyside

And then the headline-maker. Asked about Mohamed Salah — a record-smashing figure of the Premier League era — Minteh said he doesn’t look up to him. Leaving Salah out, and openly stating he’s not a reference point, is a proper lightning bolt — especially if Minteh ends up in red, trying to fill those colossal boots. Expect a few raised eyebrows on the Kop and plenty of talk-radio fodder.

Pundit’s view: brave or brazen?

Look, players are entitled to their heroes. Minteh’s five leans towards powerhouses who shaped title-winning midfields and forwards who bent big games to their will. If you’re reading the tea leaves, his list screams graft and big-match pedigree more than pure numbers. But snubbing Salah — a serial record-breaker and the face of Liverpool’s modern resurgence — is the sort of call that puts a target on your back from day one.

What this means for Liverpool

If the move happens, the football will do the talking. Liverpool need width, goals, and a fearless runner. Minteh brings pace to burn and a willingness to commit full-backs. Winning over the fanbase? That’ll take end product — and quickly. Silence the noise with a couple of early goals and the Salah soundbites fade into the background.

For those tracking transfer odds and market movers, you’ll find plenty of chatter across the best betting sites; just don’t blink, because this saga could shift fast.

Final whistle

Minteh’s top five is a lively blend of icons and modern stars, crowned by Mane and conspicuously minus Salah. It’s bold, it’s a bit cheeky, and it guarantees he’ll arrive anywhere with headlines in tow. If he lands at Anfield, he’ll need performances to match the mouth — and if he delivers, Liverpool fans will forgive the list soon enough.