Newcastle United need some fresh ideas. This much is clear after a turbulent start to the season that has left Eddie Howe searching for answers, his side 14th in the Premier League after 11 matches.
There are internal solutions available to the esteemed English coach, but there’s no question that he views St. James’ Park academy graduate Elliot Anderson as being the missing cog in the machine.
The Magpies reluctantly sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest for around £35m in 2024 to avoid PSR ramifications falling on their head. But now, the 23-year-old is flying, and his boyhood club want him back.
The latest on Newcastle's interest in Elliot Anderson
It is understood that Newcastle and Manchester United are the most likely clubs to do battle for Anderson’s signature next summer. Word on the street, however, is that Forest are set to demand a figure in excess of £100m.
Matches (starts)
37 (33)
11 (11)
Goals
2
1
Assists
6
1
Touches*
54.2
94.4
Accurate passes*
28.7 (82%)
62.1 (87%)
Chances created*
1.0
1.4
Dribbles*
1.0
1.3
Ball recoveries*
5.6
8.4
Tackles + interceptions*
2.5
3.5
Duels (won)*
6.5 (52%)
7.5 (55%)
That might be an exorbitant asking price, but we can see why the City Ground side would be so reluctant to part with their man. Anderson has grown into a world-beater of a midfielder, and he is emerging as the most likely candidate to partner Declan Rice in England’s midfield at the 2026 World Cup over the pond.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but with the Tricky Trees likely to prove difficult negotiators, don’t hold your breath.
However, it might be pleasing to note that PIF have been busy at the academy level, reinforcing the youth team with top talents capable of finding a way into Howe’s outfit.
And there’s one who might actually prove a bigger talent than Anderson, once given an opportunity to make his mark.
Newcastle have a bigger talent than Anderson
There has been a concerted effort toward raising Newcastle’s youth system over the past few years. And it is working, with prospects such as Vakhtang Salia added to the fold.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all fancied Dinamo Tbilisi’s talented forward this year, but it is a testament to Newcastle’s development that they won the race, enticing the youngster with a clear pathway toward the first team.
A versatile forward, Salia can play on either flank or in a central striking berth. In Ukraine, he scored eight goals and provided four assists across 57 matches for Dinamo’s seniors.
Salia only turned 18 in August, and it was then that his move to Tyneside was green-lit. However, it’s been a rocky start on English shores for the man who has been likened to Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal. He hasn’t played for United yet, injured early in his new start.
Journalist Graeme Bailey has described him as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world”, and with the right care and attention over the coming years, there is every reason that Salia could be fashioned into a superstar, so naturally gifted and with a physicality on the ball that suggests he could adapt to the brutality of the Premier League.
It is frustrating that Salia should have been disrupted in this way so early into his Newcastle career, but this will teach him about adversity, and in this, he could rival Anderson, who has weathered storms of his own before emerging as a superstar at the City Ground.
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