Newcastle United supporters are filled with relief after seeing Eddie Howe secure the first major signature of the summer transfer period.
Anthony Elanga’s move was finally confirmed on Friday, but the deal is set in weeks.
The Swedish winger costs around £55 million, but Howe hopes that this fee will ultimately become a bargain.
“Elanga is an exciting talent with the attributes that make him a unique offensive threat,” said Howe with Elanga’s arrival at St. James Park.
“His pace, energy and ability to create and score goals strengthen us and complement the way we want to play.”
Champions League football will win center stage next season, and Howe is looking to do better on his side than they were when they were last in the competition. Newcastle finished the group’s bottom in 2023/24 despite claiming a 4-1 victory famous for PSG.
With Elanga signed, it should be a catalyst for managers to sign several more times over the next few weeks.
The former Nottingham Forest star has a lot of Premier League experience, but will he provide exactly the next semester and beyond?
What Anthony Elanga offers Newcastle
Elanga has been at the forefront of recent success since his travels from Manchester United to the forest in the summer of 2023.
Over these two seasons, the winger scored 11 goals in the Premier League, chipping in with 20 league assists at that point.
He doesn’t just provide a clear threat in front of goals. According to FBREF, when compared to his position peers in the previous Premier League, Elanga ranked in the top 3% per 90 (6.66), top 10% of goal-making actions (0.65), and top 27% of carry-on top 27% of conflict penalty areas per 90 (1.73).
Signing the 23-year-old has given the team a boost, and even giving Howe a great offensive option for the next few years has he signed the club’s priorities to another player in this field?
Jacob Murphy was excellent on the right flank of the early period and tore it for the top flight magpie. In fact, over 35 top flight games last season, the British scored eight goals and scored 12 assists for the Magpie.
Murphy was a much better performer wideman on the team when compared to fellow Wingers Anthony Gordon and Harvey Burns, who had 12 and 14 goal involvement in the Premier League.
Of course, he will not be around forever and some competition would be ideal, but from an improvement standpoint, the right aspect should not be a priority for Howe ahead of next season.
Defense is an area that needs to be strengthened, especially between the centreback and the post.
Hau has certainly infiltrated to strengthen both positions and he has recently been given an exciting update on his transfer target.
Search for Newcastle Defenders
Mark Guehe still looks like a target, but it’s not exactly clear how ready Hau is to sign him.
Elsewhere, Malick Thiaw and Leonardo Balerdi are both defensive targets, and Howe has recently expressed interest in both centre-backs.
One player he appears to be the most enthusiastic player is Atalanta defender Giorgio Scarbini. The Italian could be set to leave the Serie to the side this summer, but they have a £50 million price tag on his head.
According to I Paper, Toon “has done preliminary work on possible deals,” but there are plenty of clubs keen to secure his signature, including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus.
Scalvini is reportedly intrigued by the prospect of playing in the Premier League, and has also gushed out about both the club and manager in recent international duties.
Will this help Howe close the deal faster than later? Only time can be seen.
Why Newcastle must sign Giorgio Scarbini
Newcastle will need to add at least one centre-back to its team this summer. Last season, Howe relied primarily on Dan Byrne and Fabian Shah. Both are excellent players, but they are both 33 years old and will not be forever.
In fact, Sven Botman is the only centre-back on the current team under 30s, but he has missed 59 games since the start of the 2023/24 season.
Therefore, Scalvini’s moves are a must for clubs. He missed out on the previous majority due to injuries, but throughout the 2023/24 campaign he was fantastic.
Giorgio Skullvine’s Attributes Ceremony to Statistics (for 903/24) | |
|---|---|
The exact path | 37.8 |
Tackle | 1.6 |
Intercept | 1.8 |
clearance | 2 |
The duel won | 4.8 |
The ball has recovered | 4.9 |
Via Sofascore | |
Scarbini, a centre back of “world class” by Fabrizio Romano in 2022 and a “world class” by talent scout Jace Krig, was highly ranked across various Serie A metrics in 2023/24.
Compared to his peers, he was ranked in the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, and ranked in the top 11% for touches in the attack penalty area, top 4% for intercepts and top 16% for air squadrons per 90.
If he could replicate these kinds of performances in Newcastle, Howe would have landed a great signature for the club.
The best part is that Scalvini has not yet reached his peak, indicating that over the next few years we can only see the Italian defender go from strength to strength.
Hau has just spent £55 million on Elanga, but there’s no doubt that the deal signing the Atalanta starlet will be considered a more important signature, especially with concerns about the defense.
Scalvini previously showed off his talent in Europe and was impressed when his team defeated Bayer Lebakusen 3-0 in the 2024 Europa League final.
Performance in the Champions League is a massive step up for the youngster, but if he wants to take the game to the next level, this is the level he should play.
The next few weeks will be interesting for the club. That’s certainly true.
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