African wonderkid
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Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh is attracting serious interest from leading European clubs due to his eye-catching performances at Tromsø. The Norwegian outfit identified the defender’s immense potential at the Mawade Wade academy in Senegal and ultimately signed him on a five-year contract last March after impressing on trial. The Gambia international has acclimated to the demands of European football and he’s earned rave reviews in Norway.
Kinteh made 21 appearances in the Eliteserien in his maiden campaign in professional football to generate interest from suitors with his market value rising to €5 million. Al-Ahli attempted to sign him before the Saudi Pro League transfer window closed, while Swiss duo Basel and Young Boys are weighing up offers before their deadline of February 16th. But Kinteh’s name truly gained traction due to the interest of Chelsea and Manchester United, as first reported in the Daily Mail. Therefore, we’ve provided a detailed analysis of the promising defender with unparalleled insight from Transfermarkt’s Norwegian football expert, Bastin Schmitz.
The lowdown on Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh
Tromsø has a partnership with the Mawade Wade academy in Senegal and that enabled them to strike a bargain deal for Kinteh. The teenager made his international debut for the Gambia last October and Tromsø will land a substantial profit when he’s sold. Kinteh remains very raw but he possesses fantastic physical characteristics as he’s lightning fast and strong.
Schmitz detailed: “He is highly rated in Norway, even though he has only been with the club for one year. Kinteh is playing left centre-back in Tromsø’s back-three system and is an extremely athletic and mobile player with good ball control. He is good at initiating attacks with both short and long passes. If he has any weaknesses, then they lie in defensive consistency, but he benefited from the stability and structure of Tromsø’s strong back three last season.”
Chelsea and Manchester United interest in Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh
It’s no surprise that Kinteh is attracting interest from Man United and Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge side’s transfer policy revolves around signing the best young talents to develop them into first-team stars or to sell them on for profit. United have also placed huge emphasis on identifying future talents, especially since Christopher Vivell’s appointment as recruitment director. Both clubs could firm up their interest with official offers ahead of the summer window but they will face competition from rival suitors, as Schmitz explains.
The Norwegian expert explained: “His athleticism and ball prowess has already attracted several clubs; in winter, there was reportedly a concrete offer from Al-Ahli for around €6million, rising to €8m with bonuses. However, the transfer reportedly fell through due to problems with the regulation regarding the number of foreign players in the Saudi-League. Tromsø will likely demand a similarly high transfer fee during the summer transfer window, but this sum will certainly be influenced by the league season starting in March and Kinteh’s performance, if a transfer doesn’t happen beforehand.”
