I’m just going to start this off by saying that Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh will be playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs soon. He’s that good.

In the far north of Norway, you’ll find the northernmost top division football club in the world, Tromsø IL. Nestled into the fjords below the northern lights, Tromsø has become a relatively popular destination for promising young players in recent years. You might have noticed new West Ham signing, El Hadji Malick Diouf. While signing for the hammers from Slavia Prague, Malick Diouf started his european career with Tromsø as well. In fact, both players came from the Academy Mawade Wade in Senegal, which has a partnership with Tromsø IL. Shortly after turning 18 years old, Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh left home for northern Norway before the start of the 2025 Eliteserien season.

A technical, ball playing CB, Kinteh has operated mostly in a back-3 system, as the left sided CB. He loves to jump forward out of the line of defence to intercept passes, and will frequently look to start the counter attack himself. Honestly very good on the ball (especially as an 18 year old CB), Kinteh has an expansive passing range and the confidence to attempt any pass. He has shown a strong ability to break lines of press with his passing and is very comfortable firing a quick, accurate, pass into the feet of his #10 between the lines. Equally competent in switching play, Kinteh is a true threat anytime he is on the ball, as his versatile passing range makes him unpredictable. Even from CB, Kinteh is averaging 0.5 chances created and 0.12 xA per 90. While predominantly playing in the half space or centre of the pitch, Kinteh is competent at overlapping in wide areas. He generally puts himself in position to deliver several dangerous crosses per game. Where he really puts most other CB’s in the Eliteserien to shame though, is his on the ball dribbling. Kinteh is meant for a back 3 system I believe, because that allows him to be free in attack where he can shine. In the Eliteserien, he is averaging 1.3 successful dribbles p90, on a success rate of 83%. Kinteh truly has all the attributes needed to be an elite ball playing CB: great technique, wide passing range, dribbling ability, and elite ball recovery.

Speaking of defending, Kinteh is a monster in duels, and eats up space extremely effectively. Averaging just under 6 duels won, and 6.5 ball recoveries per 90 in the Eliteserien, Kinteh is a bit like a vacuum in defence. Allowing his CB partners to stay deeper, he jumps up to press wide players or intercept passes, often acting as a defensive midfielder (or even more advanced role) when Tromsø have the ball. Sometimes being caught up the pitch in transition (largely in part due to his role within the squad), Kinteh shows very strong recovery pace and tackling ability. He pairs well with an attack-minded LWB in a 3-5-2 system, allowing the LWB to act as a LW in possession with Kinteh covering the space behind. In two matches this year against Norway’s best, Bodø/Glimt, Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh has put up: 150 touches, 93/114 passes completed, 3/3 dribbles completed, 7/17 long balls completed, 20 passes into final third, 24 defensive recoveries, won 14/18 duels, and never committed a foul, drawing 3. Even for a fully grown CB in their prime, that is impressive.

Kinteh exudes an aura of calm maturity on the pitch. When put under pressure, his play does not change. He looks like he has already seen 10+ years of professional football with how he reads the game. Every club in world football could use a player like Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh. In terms of a player comparison, I liken his game to a hybrid of Willian Pacho and Alessandro Bastoni. Now to be clear, Bastoni is the gold-standard of ball-playing CB’s right now, I am not saying Kinteh is at his level yet. However, I think it more likely than not, that Kinteh will reach that level in the future.

If recent history is any predictor of the future, we will soon see Slavia Prague return to Tromsø with a BIG (likely Tromsø club record) fee for Kinteh. Unless sabotaged by poor coaching/a bad developmental environment, this kid is going right to the very top. My prediction is that there is a VERY strong chance that Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh can become a regular player at a Champions League level club in a Top 5 European league. He is honestly good enough now to make an impact at some of Europe’s biggest clubs. There is a high chance that we are looking at the best Gambian CB of his generation, and I am not exaggerating for hype.

If by the start of the 2026 Eliteserien season Kinteh is still at Tromsø, I will be utterly shocked. If in 2 years time, there isn’t interest from Europe’s elite clubs, I’ll be even more shocked. This is one of the best CB prospects I have seen at this age, and I feel very confident that Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh is destined for greatness. Remember his name.

Abubacarr Sedi Kinteh, One to Watch.

Thanks for reading,

-LM