Anthony Elanga was the fifth-fasted player in the Premier League last season - Champions League clubs beware.
Like the fictional Michael Scott in the US version of the office, Newcastle United supporters broke into a frenzy when news emerged on Thursday about Anthony Elanga’s possible arrival. Is it actually happening?
For this is the fourth transfer window where the Magpies have failed to make a significant first-team signing. A reluctance to open the chequebook frustrated Toon fans during the Mike Ashley age.
Post-takeover times, however, have seen added urgency to splash the cash but PSR restrictions create a bubble of frustration around St James’ Park. The shackles have loosened this summer and Nottingham Forest ace Elanga could be the man to break the barren spell.
In signing the Swede - who almost joined last summer - the Magpies will bolster a highly coveted position that has not been upgraded since PIF parked their tanks on the Premier League lawn. A forced neglect has resulted in Jacob Murphy - as it stands - being the only natural option on the right flank.
Newcastle United’s speed demons
Pace - and bucketloads of it - is his defining attribute. Elanga racked up the fifth-highest top speed (22.61mph) in the Premier League last season.
For context, a Sky Sports graphic once showed how Elanga is just 0.9 seconds slower than Usain Bolt’s world-record time over 85 metres. Should he arrive, the 23-year-old is set to compete with Murphy - no slouch in his own right - for a starting spot.
But the Forest star would add a frightening dynamic to Newcastle’s frontline, especially with fellow speed demon Anthony Gordon on the opposite wing. The Toon ace (22.79mph) was the eighth-fastest player in the Premier League the season before last.
Champions League tactic?
With star striker Alexander Isak also no slouch, Newcastle could lay claim to Europe’s quickest frontline next season. That is, of course, dependent on an Elanga breakthrough.
Eddie Howe has married Newcastle’s natural love for direct football with his own philosophy since taking the St James’ Park reins almost four years ago. Speed out wide is key, although the Magpies like to dominate possession against the lesser sides on home soil.
Newcastle will be on the back foot away from home next season when they travel to a European heavyweight. Go on, allow yourself to evoke images of a resilient side in black-and-white stripes digging in at the Bernabeu.
Pace on the break will be key for those big occasions. And few would deliver that defence-shattering attribute as well as a Triple-A attack of Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga.
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Anthony Elanga on exit
Speaking to Swedish media, Elanga stayed tight-lipped regarding his future. He said: “There is a lot of talk. I focus on what I can do and my focus today was on the match. In football there are always rumours. The most important thing is that I focus on what I can control.
“I guess there will always be scouts wherever I play. As long as I stay focused and do my best in the match, I just keep my focus and what I can control. That's what I can do on and off the field. I focus on the next day and action. That's what I can do.”
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