Portsmouth, Burnley and Wolves-linked attacking midfielder reveals ambitions amid transfer talk
Pompey and Premier League sides Bourmemouth, Brighton and Wolves have been linked with Gambia international
Reported Pompey target Adboulie Manneh has ambitions of plying his trade in one of Europe’s top leagues.
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The Mjallby AIF attacking midfielder holds out hope that is within his reach following his impressive start to this season’s Swedish top flight.
At present, the 20-year-old Gambia international is Allsvenskan’s second highest goalscorer behind Norrkoping’s Christoffer Nyman with five goals in eight appearances. That includes a hat-tick against Degerfors last month, with the rising star also registering two assists this term as Anders Torstensson’s side sit third in current the league standings.
Pompey were credited with an interest in Manneh over the weekend, with national reports claiming they are one of five English clubs monitoring his progress at the Strandvallen stadium.
Premier League sides Bournemouth, Brighton, Wolves and newly-promoted Burnley are also apparent admirers of Manneh, with Greek side Olympiacos and MLS outfit FC Cincinnati also supposedly keen.
Yet it seems a move to these shores could put Pompey & Co at an advantage if their reported interest in the forward carries momentum into the summer transfer window.
What reported Pompey target Abdoulie Manneh has said about his next move
In a recent interview with Swedish media outlet fotbollskanalen.se. Manneh said he had ambitions of playing in one of Europe’s elite divisions.
Responding to the question: What do you dream about?, the Mjallby attacker responded: ‘To play in the top five leagues. Hopefully it will happen.’
Pompey, of course, cannot offer Manneh Premier League football just yet, given their Championship status. But with talk of a move to those levels considered somewhat premature by some in Sweden, after just one full season at Mjallby, perhaps a move to England’s second tier could help bridge the gap.
The Blues - who have ambitious of returning to the Premier League - will be looking to add to their offensive options over the close season, with Adil Aouchiche now back at Sunderland, Kaide Gordon reunited with Liverpool and doubts remaining over Kusini Yengi’s long-term Fratton Park future.
Manneh, who had trials at Belgium second-tier side Deinze and Danish team AC Horsens prior to his move to Sweden in January 2024, can operate right across the front line.
But as his stock continues to rise at Mjallby, the ambitious but humble attacking midfielder remains content with life in Hällevik.
He added: Everyone is like a family and nice to each other. Good players, fans and leaders, so it was easy for me to get into the group.
‘I'm so happy to be here and spend time with the guys.’
Reports claim Manneh would command a £4.2m fee if clubs followed up their interest in the player. The twice capped Gambia international is contracted to Mjallby until 2027.
Mjallby boss shared verdict on Abdoulie Manneh
Speaking about the players’ time so far in Sweden, Mjallby boss Torstenssen said: ‘He came to us last winter as a forward. but we gradually trained him to be an offensive midfielder.
‘He has grown into it really well. He has been really good at training. He has learned from instructions. He is a really ambitious, humble guy who works really hard. I'm happy with Manneh. Once again, it turned out that hard work leads to success .’