Newcastle can finally replace Elliot Anderson by signing £73m midfielder

Eddie Howe‘s decision to step down from his position as Newcastle United after a much-needed summer break came as a chastening surprise, but now the dust has settled, who could blame him?

We know that Howe originally planned to continue for a sixth term in office, but last year’s bruising transfer window events have sadly served as a precursor for the current issues plaguing the Magpies, who have sold a number of their superstars this summer and replaced them with exciting but inexperienced up-and-comers.

The midfield is a big concern. Sandro Tonali has been sold to Tottenham for £100m, and Bruno Guimaraes‘ proposed transfer to Arsenal is crystallising by the day.

It puts a sombre lens on the decision to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for £35m in 2024. You could argue that the boyhood Geordie outperformed the pair of them.

How Anderson compared to Bruno & Tonali last season

Anderson completed a £116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City this summer, consolidating his position as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League“, as he has been named by Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tonali is an machine, powerful and energetic and elegant on the ball, while Guimaraes is a truly excellent all-action star, but Anderson could have stepped up and covered the pair of them this summer, were he still been around at St. James’ Park.

The 23-year-old wins an absurd number of duels each game, consistently seeking out gaps from which to burrow through to the danger area while picking out sharp passes besides.

Tonali is not really a player whose skills are measured through numerical data, but Anderson does bear a likeness to Guimaraes, and it would be fair to say that the former Forest star outperformed his former teammate in the Premier League last season – with both sides facing their fair share of adversity throughout.

Both midfielders are mobile and relentless in pressing, winning the ball back and pushing play forward. While Matthias Jaissle, Howe’s replacement in the dugout, will find two new young stars in Sean Steur, 18, and Aladji Bamba, 20, on Tyneside, it should go without saying that Guimaraes’ move to Arsenal will demand yet another piece.

What’s the relevance of all this? For sure, Anderson will not be wearing the Newcastle shirt any time soon. Well, the critical point here is that Newcastle still need more quality in the middle of the park, and while Bamba and Steur are both gifted young players, technical director Ross Wilson might have his eye on a big-money star who outstrips the pair of them.

Howe remarked after selling Anderson that he had big regrets about how things panned out. His and the club’s hands were bound by PSR restrictions, but they could make amends by completing a statement signing of Porto midifielder Victor Froholdt.

According to O Jogo in Portugal, as translated by Sport Witness, the Danish midfielder has been the subject of fresh contacts between Newcastle and his representatives in recent days, the Toon looking to act on their long-standing interest.

Porto do not want to sell. They have thus far made it clear that his €85m (£73m) release clause must be paid for his departure this summer. Moreover, Froholdt is not agitating to leave, but Newcastle’s maintained contacts suggest there is at least optimism that a deal could be done.

Froholdt is no veteran himself. The 20-year-old has only played 52 times for Porto – scoring nine goals and supplying seven assists from midfield – since arriving from Copenhagen, where he bloomed into a pro.

But this is a player who is already showing age-belying maturity. In that, he shares a rare quality with Anderson, who starting hitting high notes from the moment he touched down in Nottingham.

Last season, Frholdt was hailed as “the best player in the Portuguese league” by Portuguese football expert Gonçalo Tristão Santos, notching 12 goal involvements in Liga Portugal, but also showing off his physicality, athleticism and technical quality on the ball.

A desire to get forward does not tend to come at the expense of firm, combative defending. He won 4.6 duels and 1.4 tackles per game on average last season, also attempting to create for his teammates with regularity.

Anderson is no longer attainable for the Newcastle persuasion, but in Froholdt, they would land a similar player who could ease Guimaraes’ departure, but also strengthen Jaissle’s side with an Anderson-esque talent who might just bring back a bit of sparkle and dynamism to a midfield in disrepair.