Newcastle United are set to sign a right winger for the first time since the takeover after agreeing a £55m deal with Nottingham Forest for Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga is due on Tyneside this afternoon to finalise his £55m move to Newcastle United.
ChronicleLive reported that Newcastle and Nottingham Forest reached an agreement on Monday night for the rapid forward.
Elanga, who is currently hard at work in Portugal, is now set to board a flight from Faro and undergo a medical.
There are not expected to be any issues as Newcastle not only move a step closer to making their first major signing in nearly two years but, also, recruit their first right winger since the takeover.
Elanga has long been a target of Eddie Howe's - Newcastle even made a bid last summer, too - and it is not hard to see how the Sweden international would slot in and help ease the burden on Jacob Murphy.
Newcastle, after all, were ranked among the top sides in the Premier League for direct attacks (81), which are defined as possessions that start in a team’s own half and result in a shot or a touch inside the opposition penalty area within 15 seconds, as well as shots in transition (194) and shots from fast breaks (45).
However, there is still room for improvement. Newcastle managed just five goals from fast breaks last season whereas champions Liverpool led the way with 14.
When it came to shot ending high turnovers, Bournemouth had 21 more than Newcastle.
These are areas Elanga could certainly help Newcastle in - and that is before mentioning the 23-year-old's crossing ability and set-piece delivery.
"You just have to keep working hard," he said just a few months ago. "That's all I want to keep doing. I want to increase my numbers, I want to win trophies. I want to create history and become the best player I can become."
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