Weir: Players like Minteh are important to us

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Technical director discussed our new signing and the pull of signing for Albion.

Charlie Hanson

2024-07-05T09:00:00Z

Yankuba Minteh signed for Albion from Newcastle United.

Technical director David Weir believes players with the qualities of new signing Yankuba Minteh are important to Albion.

The former Everton and Rangers defender has said that exciting, attacking players are key to how the club want to progress.

“We've been tracking Yankuba for a while," David explained. "He spent last year on loan at Feyenoord and we watched him closely in that loan move.

“Then when the opportunity came up for us to bring him here we were really excited at that prospect.

Yankuba Minteh joined Albion on a five-year deal.

“He's only 19 and he's not played in the Premier League before, but he's played at a really good level. It’s an area that is important to us - attacking players with pace, with a pedigree who are playing at a really good level.

“We've got to give him time and be patient which I think we've shown that we will do with a number of players. He is someone we're looking forward to working with.”

Albion have recruited from across the world in recent seasons. While clubs try to follow our recruitment model, Weir believes we have a trump card up their sleeve when it comes to convincing a player to join us: opportunity.

“Identifying players and finding them is relatively easy," Weir added. "The hard part is bringing them to your club.

David Weir speaking at Fabian Hurzeler's unveiling on Tuesday.

“What we have shown is that we are a club that gives young players opportunities. We bring in great head coaches. We make players better. That message is really strong and powerful.

“Maybe we cannot compete with the salaries some others can offer but we can compete on pathway, opportunity and development. For the right players and agents that is really important and really powerful. Our reputation in the game now is such that we are that type of club.

“That is what we have to compete with and utilise to attract the best players no matter what age they are.”

Examples of players making a success of their time with Albion aren’t hard to come by.

“You look at Alexis [Mac Allister]. He was a loan player, who took his time to adapt to the club and rapidly progressed and moved on.

“Simon Adingra won AFCON. Hopefully we will have a player who wins the Euros. That is a great message for everyone. Hopefully there are more to be written as well.

“We are going to Japan this pre-season because that has been another great story with the identification of another special player in Kaoru [Mitoma]. That is another great chapter for the club.

“There has been a lot of exciting things. Hopefully there are a lot more and Fabian [Hurzeler] will be a big part of that as well.”