Newcastle United Are Close To Recruiting This Nottingham Forest Playmaker: Decent Choice For Howe? | OneFootball

In a recent report, journalist Dominic Scurr mentioned that Newcastle United are close to recruiting Nottingham Forest playmaker Anthony Elanga. It is believed that the Magpies are eyeing a move to secure the services of the Swedish attacker and have made an improved £55m offer to land him this summer.

Elanga’s Impressive Record At Nottingham Last Season

Elanga enjoyed a good run of form at the Midlands club after he produced a handful of promising displays for them in the final third. The 23-year-old scored six times and earned 12 assists in 43 matches for Nottingham last season across all competitions.

The Swedish talent managed to shine at times in the final third based on his average of 1.58 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He kept 54.5% of his attempts on target. However, Elanga needs to improve his ball distribution in the opposition half, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 65.3% in the English top-flight (stats via fbref.com).

Elanga is under contract at the City Ground until the summer of 2028 which could make it difficult for Newcastle to recruit him on the cheap in this transfer period.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – JUNE 6: Anthony Elanga of Sweden in action during the friendly match between Hungary and Sweden at Puskas Arena on June 6, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images)

Is Elanga A Decent Choice For Newcastle United?

Elanga is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet and can make a few dangerous runs with it out on the flanks. He can strike the ball with power from long range and has got the eye to play some killer passes on the offensive end of the field.

The Swedish sensation can score and create his fair share of goals from the wide areas. He is primarily a right-sided wide player but can also operate as a left-winger or as a centre-forward if asked to do so by his manager.

We can expect Elanga to inject more firepower into Newcastle boss Eddie Howe’s frontline. He has what it takes to nail down a regular first-team spot at St. James’ Park in the coming seasons.

At 23, the best is yet to come from Elanga. Thus, he would be a great choice for the Magpies to consider in this summer transfer window. Elanga has already proven his worth in Premier League football and won’t take much time to adjust to life at the Tyneside club.