Don't Look Back, Elanga - Anthony, Alex, and Anthony

A signing? Anyone remember what to do? Ah yes, unrestrained optimism!! Rus looks forward to welcoming a new addition to our forward line

Eight goals and twelve assists in 35 games. Fantastic stats; such is the season that Jacob Murphy enjoyed on our right wing. In my view, it’s more than a purple patch. Murphy has had what could be considered a ‘breakthrough’ season, at the ripe old age of 30. Murphy’s attacking contributions for the 24/25 season represent 42% (goals) and 41% (assists) of his total contributions across 185 Premier League games.

So why, after such a superb season for Murphy on our right wing, am I so excited about the imminent arrival of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest?

Whilst Elanga scored two fewer goals and provided one fewer assist than Murphy in the 24/25 season, the stats only tell one, very limited story. At 23 years old, Elanga could well be the future of our right wing. Just as Tino and Hall look set to command their respective positions for NUFC, and likely England, for many years to come.

Like the young fullbacks, Elanga has represented his country albeit he’s done so 22 times which far exceeds the senior international appearances of Tino and Hall combined. The importance of Isak as a colleague of Elanga in the yellow of Sweden, won’t be lost on NUFC fans but for me, Elanga is a player who could start in this NUFC team tomorrow and not look even slightly out of place.

He is incredibly well suited to our style of play. The quick transitions, work off the ball, and his explosive nature when in possession is exactly what we need more of in a relatively shallow squad. He's an incredible athlete who recently posted a video on Instagram of his 100m sprint in just under 11 seconds. Whilst much was rightly made of the partnership that Hall and Gordon enjoyed prior to the former’s injury, the prospect of a Tino/ Elanga right side has got me salivating.

His age is a major factor, too. At just 23, he represents exactly the profile of player that NUFC should be targeting to bring down the average age of the squad. Young and hungry is the order of the day. We’ll continue to be linked to player after player until the window slams shut (why does it never close gently?) but I think we can safely ignore any links to any player over 25/26 e.g. Grealish.

Howe likes a versatile player and again, Elanga is just that. Predominantly a right winger, he has played almost as many games on the left and nearly 40 games in the middle of a front three. He’s seemingly passed the ‘no dickheads’ test, and whilst I have no idea how close we were or weren’t to signing Pedro (again) I suspect Elanga outscored him on this particular test. Howe will of course have done his homework on the man behind the player; friendships with Isak and Osula will have done the young Swede no harm either.

Whilst I’m sure the value of the transfer will continue to be debated, a) the market is what it is, and b) it’s not my money so I’m not too worried. Any immediate threat of PSR has been lifted but it remains a key consideration. Particularly for a club without sponsors for our training ground/ training kit or confirmed plans for a new mega stadium. PSR is another reason why the signing of Elanga makes sense.

Not cheap, of course but he’s not the finished article and will only increase in value. He will get better under Howe, most do. Just look at Bruno, Tonali, Gordon, Livramento and Isak for evidence. Even Murphy, not that I want to see him go, owes us nothing on paper and would command a fee in excess of the £12m the poisonous shop keeper shelled out for him all those years ago.

Elanga has not been signed with view to selling on at a profit but I have no doubt it’s part of the discussion. It has to be nowadays. Instead, the investment in Elanga represents a careful, measured, young and quality addition to our squad. We’ll look to tick the same boxes with Trafford and hopefully Scalvini too.

It’s admirable what Forest achieved last year when some tipped them to struggle for survival but their transfer model has been somewhat erratic, not something you can say about NUFC. Yes, we haven’t made a senior signing for our first 11 in what feels like an age but every signing we have made under our new ownership has been carefully thought out, or in the case of Vlachodimos, a necessary PSR evil.

A right winger was top of the list for many NUFC fans this summer window and it could have been Mbeumo if not for wages reported to be in excess of £200k pw. Mbeumo would have been fantastic, no doubt about it, but he’s a Manchester reds player now…isn’t he? Surely, it’s been confirmed. It’s been imminent for weeks.

NUFC on the other hand looked to have wrapped up the perfect right wing signing in Elanga. Forest fans will no doubt be disappointed to see him go but will likely rejoice that such a sale will likely keep Gibbs-White at the City Ground for the foreseeable with less pressure on their financial bottom line.

Elanga should slot straight into a front three with Isak and Gordon – that’s enough to terrify any defence next season. Murphy had a great season but it won’t take long for us all to see just how much of an upgrade Elanga is. I suspect wor Anthony will have the red side of Manchester wishing they’d brought him back to Old Trafford, but instead they’ll have to enjoy his performances in black and white from the comfort of their London sofas.

Rus Trevethick (Twitter: Rus8410)

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