Although Newcastle United’s start to the new campaign has left much to be desired, Magpie fans can take solace in the fact that Eddie Howe has pieced together an elite-level outfit over the past four years.
There have been some bumps in the road, with the latest wobble being keenly felt on Tyneside, but there have also been staggering heights, United having lifted last season’s Carabao Cup trophy and sealed a place in the Champions League for the second time in three years.
Howe must be given time to turn things around, bedding the new signings in and moulding this new variation of his tactical set-up. It should all come together, especially with the form in the Champions League and Carabao Cup suggesting the best is yet to come.
And with Nick Woltemade having replaced Alexander Isak so confidently at number nine, there’s plenty of reason for optimism.
However, other areas of the field still need some work, and it’s starting to look like reinforcing the midfield is among Howe’s priorities.
Newcastle planning to sign midfielder
For so long, Joelinton has been a pillar of strength in the middle of the park for Newcastle. However, the Brazil international has been run into the ground over so many years of tireless service, and he needs to be replaced.
The 29-year-old has been a chief proponent of Howe’s fast-running and aggressive brand of football. Now he is, at times, looking like a duck out of water, and that’s why an exciting replacement has been earmarked.
As per The Telegraph, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is emerging as a top target for Newcastle next summer, a little over one year after the Magpies sold him to the City Ground, forced as they were by Premier League financial pressure.
Anderson has risen to prominence this year, and the Tricky Trees are expected to demand in excess of £100m for the England international, with Manchester United also showing a vested interest in his signature.
This is an exorbitant figure, but it’s a testament to the former Toon talent’s rising stock that it would be a move welcomed by those on Tyneside, and one that could spearhead the club up to new heights.
What Elliot Anderson would offer Newcastle
Last week, Thomas Tuchel placed Anderson at a high-ranking table. “He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.”
Music to the Forest star’s ears, of course, though it’s got to be a bitter pill to swallow for Newcastle, whose interest in their academy graduate continues to grow.
It’s not hard to see why. Anderson is among the most mobile and complete centre-midfielders out there. He is tenacious and balanced and making continual improvements. His call-up to the Three Lions squad this year has paid dividends, and it is Anderson who is developing as Declan Rice’s starting midfield partner.
PSR left PIF with little choice, but there must be such regret around the decision to cash in on Anderson over a year ago, with the 23-year-old performing so well and in a role that would be perfect alongside Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the Newcastle engine room.
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%)
Anderson’s statistical output since signing for Forest in a £35m deal last year has been quite the thing. He is a monstrous dueller, and his sheer volume of recoveries tells of an athleticism that Howe’s system needs to fire on all cylinders.
Joelinton has provided that presence so robustly over the years, but he is indeed waning, and Anderson would undoubtedly be an upgrade.
It would be a worthwhile investment, even if Forest would demand a premium. Just imagine Anderson playing his football for Man United next season. He would raise their level, and that would directly hinder Newcastle in their own ambitions of becoming Champions League regulars.
Anderson might even prove to be a more influential signing than Woltemade has been. The German striker has scored six goals in black and white since the summer, but he plays in a drop-deep kind of way, and Newcastle have been drained of Isak’s pace and dynamism. Here is one of the biggest tactical inhibitors Howe is contending with.
Anderson would be a far greater fit. He would lift Newcastle and reshape the midfield, bouncing off the superstars beside him and playing with the kind of gusto that only those wearing their boyhood club’s shirt can muster.
After all, having been hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson as a “do-it-all midfield warrior” and a “powerhouse carrier with a bit of passing range”, it’s understandable that Howe should have such a personal desire to bring him back to the club, having been quizzed on the topic in October.
“I don’t know [if he will come back] but certainly from my perspective I would love him to. It [his sale] didn’t sit right with me then, doesn’t sit right with me today that we, as a football club, were forced to make a decision that we didn’t want to make.
“And a player that had given everything to rise through the ranks here to try to play for Newcastle, that was ended by financial restrictions…”
If Newcastle truly get the green light from PIF down the line and have the resources and freedom to launch a record-breaking bid at Anderson, they must ensure they bring him back to St. James’ Park, thus beating off a direct rival and restoring the equilibrium.
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