Nottingham Forest are not stalling in their quest to replace Anthony Elanga, with Johan Bakayoko joined by two other targets on an initial shortlist.
With Elanga’s move to Newcastle United nearing completion, Evangelos Marinakis will know that finding the perfect replacement for Nuno Espírito Santo‘s squad will be his most important task of the summer.
Elanga’s 18-goal contributions last season put him behind only Chris Wood as Forest’s most influential attacker, but even then, the poacher owed plenty to Elanga’s creative ability.
To kickstart the search for a replacement, Forest have targeted Johan Bakayoko as a like-for-like alternative, but Nottingham Forest News can reveal that there are two other stars on the initial shortlist.
Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga in action vs Leicester
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Nottingham Forest’s shortlist to replace Anthony Elanga takes shape
Given that Espírito Santo already wanted to sign two wingers, the recruitment team will already have players in mind that could suit his needs.
However, the direct Elanga replacement will need to be a level above the backup options already looked at to bolster the squad.
With this in mind, Nottingham Forest News understands that Johan Bakayoko is of interest to Forest as a potential replacement, in an early shortlist that also includes Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott.
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Cuiabano also remains of interest, although his attacking strengths are more suited to the left side rather than the right.
Focusing on Bakayoko and Elliott, both would undoubtedly bring the ability to impact a game as much as Elanga, but the Liverpool star could change the way the Forest manager sets up his side.
Harvey Elliott would be an intriguing signing for Forest
Bakayoko would arrive at the City Ground as the perfect replacement for Elanga in terms of not needing to change anything for him to slot in and thrive.
However, there is no denying Elliott’s abilities as a creative orchestrator, and the recent U21 European Championships highlighted his knack for scoring goals as well.
Appearances Goals Assists
Johan Bakayoko 46 12 3
Harvey Elliott 28 5 3
Bakayoko and Elliott’s 24/25 club seasons
The basic statistics are also in favour of Bakayoko, but Elliott only started two league games for Liverpool last season so was unable to make the impact the football world knows he could’ve.
If it’s an identical profile that Espírito Santo wants then it’s hard to look past Bakayoko as Elanga’s ideal replacement. If the Portuguese manager is seeking a tweak to add more control to Forest’s game, though, Elliott could represent the perfect transfer opportunity.