If Newcastle United are to stand any chance of enjoying deep, sustained runs in all competitions next season, then the club needs two things: individual quality and strong squad depth.
With the news that we’re looking to sign Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga, the exciting Swede would help us tick both boxes.
However, given the player’s £55m-plus valuation and Forest’s reluctance to sell, it was never going to be a simple negotiation as we await a much-needed breakthrough.
But it’s emerged that earlier in the year, during January negotiations for Elanga, that an interesting opportunity presented itself to the club that never came to fruition…
According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Newcastle rejected a part-exchange proposal during talks with Nottingham Forest earlier this year.
Crook reports that, during brief talks to land Elanga back in January, Forest asked to take Jacob Murphy as part of the deal.
However, it’s believed Eddie Howe quickly put a stop to that, with the 30-year-old winger a key part of his squad and in the form of his life after 20 goal involvements across the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Speaking on talkSPORT over the weekend, Crook 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.”
After our dramatic deadline day bid for the Swede was immediately rejected last summer, it seems we haven’t stopped pursuing Elanga, following up our August (2024) bid with January talks and two more offers over the past fortnight.
Howe’s loyalty to certain players, especially during periods where we need to sell to buy talent, is a common criticism of the manager.
But once again, it looks like Howe did the right thing in keeping Murphy at the club for the second half of last season.
The boyhood Toon fan has enjoyed an immense 2025 so far, including winning the club’s Player of the Month award back in April, finishing the league campaign with 20 goal involvements, with only Mo Salah providing more assists than him overall.
And of course there was his immense contribution to the Carabao Cup final, knocking the ball down for Alexander Isak to rifle home what would prove to be the game winning goal.
With current signs pointing to Elanga finally making the switch this summer, Murphy does face an uncertain future in the starting XI, but he still has a massive role to play as we head into 2025/26 hoping to compete on four fronts.
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