After missing out on Marc Guehi, Newcastle United reportedly went all out to sign an attacking reinforcement on deadline day, offering a package worth as much as £50m.
Newcastle transfer news
The final day of the transfer window was one of desperation for Newcastle. Every time the Magpies' offer for Guehi increased, Crystal Palace's asking price seemingly did the same before any chance of the deal taking place collapsed. After an unsuccessful summer-long saga, the Magpies are back to square one and still need a central defender with the window closed.
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As things stand, with Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles injured, Eddie Howe has Lloyd Kelly and Fabian Schar to call on when it comes to natural central defenders to call on, with Dan Burn and Emil Krafth filling in. Those options are unlikely to improve anytime soon unless Newcastle turn towards the free agent market.
What's more, their failure to sign Guehi didn't see them go for an alternative option. Instead, those at St James' Park reportedly went all out in pursuit of an attacking reinforcement, ditching their need for a centre-back altogether.
According to The Athletic's Daniel Taylor, Newcastle included Miguel Almiron in a player-plus-cash offer worth £50m for Anthony Elanga, only for Nottingham Forest to stand firm and hand them their second rejection in quick succession.
In the end, Almiron remained a Newcastle player, despite being linked with a move away throughout the window, while Elanga stayed put at Forest. But things could yet change in January, with Sky Sports pundit Curtis Davies recently backing the Magpies to return for the winger.
"Brilliant" Elanga is better than Almiron
When the January window opens, signing an upgrade on Almiron alongside another central defender should be the two biggest priorities for Newcastle. Solving that first problem may well involve Elanga, who has come to life at Forest to earn such interest and become a player capable of offering Howe a much-needed upgrade on his current winger.
Goals
5
3
Assists
9
1
Key passes
32
24
Take-ons Completed
28
23
Outperforming Almiron in several key areas, Elanga's output was particularly impressive compared to the Newcastle man last time out, with 16 goal involvements to his name as Forest battled to survive.
The Swede has earned plenty of praise throughout his Premier League career, including from former Manchester United defender Wes Brown, who told the club's official website when Elanga was breaking through at Old Trafford: "Anthony Elanga has been absolutely brilliant. It's just the energy he brings – he starts it from the front, he tries to run in behind, he's a player we need at the moment.
"He puts pressure on defenders and he has scored some good goals for us as well. As a young player, you want him to do all the best because you know how hard it can be, and he has definitely been a spark for us. He is somebody that we need at the moment."