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Rio Ferdinand gives his honest verdict on Newcastle signing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest

Lucas Arnold

Wed 9 July 2025 14:48, UK

Newcastle United are now on the verge of signing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest.

So far this summer, the transfer window has been a tale of frustration for Newcastle and Eddie Howe, who have missed out on two key targets to strengthen their attack.

Newcastle wanted to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, only to then walk away from a deal when it became too expensive.

Similarly, Chelsea outbid Newcastle for Joao Pedro, who has just scored two priceless goals for Enzo Maresca’s side at the Club World Cup.

But Newcastle fans will be relieved that their move for Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga has proved more successful.

And the former Manchester United youngster should soon be taking pictures holding a Newcastle scarf at St James’ Park. 

Rio Ferdinand delivers his Anthony Elanga to Newcastle verdict

On the back of Newcastle’s move, Rio Ferdinand has now provided his thoughts on the transfer on his YouTube channel.

Put simply, Ferdinand thought that Elanga would be a brilliant signing for Howe, a player who adds so much pace to an already fast frontline.

He said: “Anthony Elanga has now left Nottingham Forest and gone to Newcastle. I think it’s a great bit of business, £55m, I think one thing that is great for Manchester United is there’s a 20 percent sell-on fee which amounts to around £8m, which is great for their PSR.

“Their front line now, the pace they have there — on the left, Gordon, Elanga will be on the right, Isak up front if they keep him.

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“Waiting in the wings in the background, I’m sure one of the players that will be fighting for a place there will be Murphy as well.

“So they’ve got a bit of depth there, but I think he’s a wonderful signing, the pace they’ve got now is just crazy.

“They can afford to sit back on the counter now, they’ve got players who can hurt you from all sides of the pitch and I think that’s going to be a really good signing, I’m really looking forward to seeing how he goes.

“I’ve interviewed him a couple of times before, I knew him as a young kid at Manchester United, an unbelievable professional.

“Newcastle have signed, not only a player who is in great form and someone who put up some great numbers last year, but someone who actually adds to the professionalism of the club.”

How does Anthony Elanga compare to Jacob Murphy?

As Ferdinand alludes to, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Newcastle already have a very good winger in the form of Jacob Murphy.

Murphy was a revelation for Howe last season and a key part of why Newcastle will be playing in the Champions League again next season.

And as the stats prove, Murphy can compete with Elanga, even if the Forest star is an excellent signing for the club.

It’s a healthy situation for Howe, considering he also has Harvey Barnes competing with Anthony Gordon on the opposite flank.

The only glaring hole in Newcastle’s attack is simply better backup for Alexander Isak.

Isak will occasionally need to be rested across the season, and whilst William Osula has impressed in short cameos, Howe will need more depth across a long season.