Newcastle United Must Not Repeat Mistakes In Anthony Elanga Chase

It finally happened. After weeks of quiet work away from the headlines, Newcastle United has made its first official move of the summer transfer market. It was a bid for the same player it last tried to sign a year ago, Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga. But like then, the offer of around £45m ($61m) was rejected by the City Ground club, which has no desire to sell.

Revisiting Elanga as a potential target was not a surprise. Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s head coach, is a huge fan of his; the 23-year-old Sweden international fits well into the profile of player Newcastle wants to sign in terms of age, attitude, output and skillset. The former Manchester United man is quick, direct and has been heavily involved in a lot of Nottingham Forest’s good play since joining in 2023.

Last season, as the club qualified for the Europa Conference League, Elanga scored six and created 11 goals in the Premier League; 17 contributions in total, building on 14 the season before. Yet Howe has consistently said he wants to play with inverted wingers and Elanga does not fit that mould as a right footer on the right wing. Though Jacob Murphy, also right footed, played a part in 20 Premier League goals last season, he is not expected to be a first team regular next season. Howe may have a change of approach in mind, but such a hefty outlay on a player who doesn’t solve an obvious tactical conundrum is risky at the very least.

Taking into context the fact that domestic deals are often more expensive because sales result in directly strengthening a rival, Forest is well within its rights to hold out for more money. It is commonly believed it wants in the region of £60m ($81m) for the player. While he is keen to move to St James’ Park, he has three years on his current contract and is central to the development of Nuno Espirito Santo’s team after such a strong season.

Newcastle is unlikely to abandon its approach to signing Elanga and will hope a compromise can be reached. But there are other options on its radar and it must react quickly to move on if a deal cannot be reached.

Newcastle United must act quickly if Elanga move fails

Last summer, a very public chase for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi began in a similar fashion. Newcastle offered what it valued the defender at expecting Palace to negotiate knowing Guehi had two years on a contract he wasn’t going to renew. In theory, it was the last chance to receive the optimum price for a prized asset, but the club stood firm on its valuation of £70m ($95m) and accepted it would lose him for less this summer, but Newcastle was stuck having committed to signing Guehi and neglecting to move on. It left Palace with all the power and for the second of three transfer windows, no major arrivals for Newcastle.

Players like Johan Bakayoko of PSV Eindhoven and AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche are also of interest on Tyneside. Both, like Elanga, appear to fit the brief of what the club wants from a winger. Joao Pedro, Brighton’s versatile striker, is among the main targets, with talks underway among the clubs; Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus are admired. But with Forest putting up a strong fight for Elanga, it is hard to imagine it would be any easier to convince those clubs to sell for good value.

Howe likes certainty, and wants new signings to adapt as seamlessly as possible to his high demands. Although not exclusively, Premier League experience is seen as an important factor in any transition. But you have to pay for that.

Club value and market value are very different things. Compared to other options, Elanga may not be worth much more to Newcastle than its now two offers; 22-year-old Belgian Bakayoko, for example, has played in the Champions League for PSV and has 41 goal contributions in three Eredivisie seasons. With a year to run on his contract, it is believed the Dutch club wants just £17m ($23m) to sell.

But to Forest, selling would mean having to find a replacement at a time when it needs to be moving forward, not standing still. It has to be worth its while, and its position is strong. Newcastle wants Elanga and history suggests it waits for its prime targets, but with a plethora of quality alternatives, it has to be prepared to walk away this time.