Newcastle United missed out on one of their key targets this summer, Bryan Mbeumo. The Brentford attacker reportedly chose to join Manchester United over the Magpies, as well as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, although that is a deal that is yet to go through.
So, with the Cameroon star off the table, they turned their attention to another Premier League forward, Anthony Elanga. The Nottingham Forest star had his move to St. James’ Park all but confirmed by Fabrizio Romano with his famous “here we go” tagline. It is a deal that will cost the Magpies £55m.
Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga
Even though one winger is essentially through the door, Newcastle are not stopping there. They are targeting another wide player who could be an even better signing than Elanga.
Newcastle’s next winger target
There are certainly not many options for Eddie Howe out wide. Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon did an impressive job last season, but it is no surprise that they are signing Elanga to help reduce the workload.
Indeed, to supplement that further, the Magpies could turn to Manchester City and England international winger Jack Grealish. Football Insider says that the North East giants ‘are planning to accelerate their interest’ in the 29-year-old this summer.
However, they will face competition for the former Aston Villa star. Everton, who move into the Hill Dickinson Stadium this season, as well as newly crowned Serie A champions Napoli and clubs in Saudi Arabia, are also interested.
Manchester City's Jack Grealish during the warm up before the match
It was reported by Caught Offside at the start of the week that City will ask for £40m to secure Grealish’s services.
Why Grealish would be a good signing
It has obviously not been the season that Grealish may have hoped for in 2024/25. He barely got a look in at the Etihad Stadium and was not included in their squad for the Club World Cup, a competition in which they were eliminated by Al-Hilal.
Grealish
The Birmingham-born winger played just 32 times for the East Mancunian side across all competitions. That included just 20 Premier League games, and 715 minutes, in which he scored and assisted just two goals.
Yet, let’s not forget the quality that the former Villa star possesses. He played 96 Premier League games for his boyhood club, scoring 15 goals and grabbing 19 assists. That included 18 goal involvements in 26 games during his final top-flight season at the club in 2020/21.
Those are impressive numbers, with Elanga putting up similar numbers in the most recent Premier League campaign, to the ones Grealish notched up five seasons ago.
For Forest last season, he managed six goals and 11 assists in 38 top-flight games.
Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga-1
He also scored one of the best solo efforts in the Premier League in recent memory, against his former club, Man United. The Sweden star picked up a loose ball in his own half and carried it all the way into the United penalty area, before slotting home past Andre Onana.
Indeed, ball carrying at such an electric pace is a key part of Elanga’s game. Likewise, Grealish is a specialist carrier, although in a slower and more methodical way. The numbers from 2020/21 via FBref suggest his all-around game was better than Elanga’s now.
For example, Grealish averaged 7.08 progressive carries and 7.78 progressive passes for Villa in that campaign. In comparison, the Forest number 21 averaged 3.67 progressive carries and 2.27 progressive passes last term.
Grealish and Elanga key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Goals and assists
Key passes
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Take-ons completed
Ball recoveries
Stats from FBref
If the Magpies can help Grealish find his best form, like what he showed in the 2020/21 season, they may have made an even better signing than Elanga.
At his best, he can be a "menace", according to Statman Dave, and Howe will be hoping to unleash that side of his game.
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For a Premier League proven, England international, £40m seems like a bargain of a move for the Magpies this summer.
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