Eddie Howe blocked Nottingham Forest from signing £12m Newcastle United star
Nottingham Forest have been tight in negotiations with Newcastle United for the transfer of Anthony Elanga, but Eddie Howe seemingly prevented one player from going the other way.
Despite Newcastle’s unwavering interest, Forest firmly demanded £60m for Elanga, which they look set to make following the Magpies’ latest £55m bid.
There were late rumours that Aston Villa remained interested in Elanga even as the deal was being finalised with Newcastle, but it would take an almighty effort to prevent Howe from signing his preferred target for the right wing.
However, in previous negotiations between the two clubs surrounding Elanga, it has been revealed that Forest were interested in taking one of Newcastle’s most influential players in an exchange.
Nottingham Forest wanted Jacob Murphy in Anthony Elanga deal
There had been discussions that Newcastle would offer Harvey Barnes to Forest to offset the price of Elanga, but one journalist has revealed that another of Newcastle’s stars was on the Reds’ radar instead.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Alex Crook has revealed that earlier discussions surrounding Elanga’s move saw Forest ask for Jacob Murphy as a makeweight.
He said: “When Forest and Newcastle were talking about a potential deal for Elanga late in the winter window, my understanding is that Forest actually wanted to take [Jacob] Murphy in part exchange. Eddie Howe put a stop to that because he’s such a big fan of Murphy.”
It would be Murphy who suffers most at Newcastle should Elanga join the club, given that he has been Howe’s go-to option on the right while the club were on the lookout for a higher-profile star.
Ironically, though, Murphy had a better campaign than Elanga last season, potentially giving Forest a reason to rekindle this interest.
Jacob Murphy could be a strong replacement for Anthony Elanga
Fans and pundits alike were impressed by Elanga’s impressive season for Forest, but the numbers suggest that Murphy was even more impressive in the North East.
Only Mohamed Salah registered more Premier League assists than Murphy did last season, putting him ahead of Elanga in that specific category, too.
He also scored more goals than Elanga, too, while his 4.58 crosses per 90 would’ve been perfect for a striker like Chris Wood.
At 30 years old, it was comfortably Murphy’s most productive campaign of his career so there would be no guarantee that he would be able to replicate it. If he could, though, he’d certainly be an Elanga replacement that Nuno Espírito Santo could be excited about.
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