Eddie Howe reluctant to sign Ligue 1 star with £60m Premier League target preferred
Over the past few years, Eddie Howe’s perceived preference for proven Premier League players has often been debated amongst Newcastle United fans.
In some ways, you can see he loves the security of a young talent (Gordon, Livramento, Hall) who has already played in the league, speaks the language and is ready to slot straight in, but there is a strong counter-argument.
I would argue that, post-takeover, four of our top five signings have come from abroad. Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman plucked from Ligue 1 for a combined £75m, Sandro Tonali snatched from AC Milan and Alexander Isak signed from Real Sociedad in a £63m deal that now looks an absolute bargain.
With that in mind, it feels Howe is certainly open to overseas additions if they are the right ones, yet a recent report indicates he is preferring Premier League proven wingers over an exciting talent we’ve been tracking in France.
Elanga preferred to French star?
According to The i’s Mark Douglas, Eddie Howe is pushing to bring in Premier League proven Anthony Elanga over taking a risk on Monaco’s highly-rated Maghnes Akliouche.
The former France under-21 star looks a huge talent and may be a name Paul Mitchell has put forward given his prior connections in Monaco, but Howe would ‘ideally prefer a winger with more Premier League experience.’
Douglas writes that the Newcastle boss feels there is real value in a player who is ‘ready to improve the first XI immediately’ and is also a big fan of Elanga’s versatility.
However, questions will be asked about this approach given Akliouche is considered the ‘more affordable alternative’, especially if Forest stand firm on a reported £60m asking price after rejecting our £45m offer earlier this week.
Reports suggest we will turn to alternatives if a compromise can’t be reached. Perhaps one of those ‘plan Bs’ is Akliouche, but our current crop of ‘top targets’ and attempts to sign Elanga, Trafford, Pedro and Guehi suggests Howe is still prioritising the reliable but inflated domestic market.
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The Brazilian has emerged as a top target for Newcastle United this summer as they look for ways to strengthen Eddie Howe’s attacking options. Pedro’s versatility means he can act as a back-up for Alexander Isak in games where the Swedish international is rested whilst also being able to share the pitch with him either as a second-striker, an attacking midfielder or out wide.
Newcastle’s interest in Pedro is far from new either, with speculation linking him with a move to St James’ Park cropping up as far back as 2022. Pedro was among a list of targets they were interested in signing that summer with the deal progressing as far as receiving a ‘here we go’ and a mock up of Pedro in a Newcastle United shirt from Fabrizio Romano.
Ultimately, though, Pedro never signed for the Magpies and instead remained at Watford for one more campaign before joining Brighton a year later in a deal worth around £30m. Two years after that move, and three after initial interest from Tyneside, Pedro is back on their radar.
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