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Apart from the fact he's a bit "handsy" I think he's a tremendous player. Reached this level he's at now, however, by leaving. It may have been reluctantly by both him and the club but you're deluded if you think his progression would've been the same if he'd stayed. I mean, it's ridiculous to disregard him playing a full season in a team having a dream season who, not to be dismissed either, play an entirely different way to us. No way would he be where he's at now if he hadn't gone AND to Forest, for that matter.

Revenge of the PIF.

George Lucas two/only notes he would apparently give whilst directing were 'faster, more intense'. Pretty sure Eddie could knock out a decent Star wars film.

Plan B is do Plan A better.

Newcastle's setup and style of play is more akin to Ragnick's high intensity approach. Ragnick rated Elanga highly, and he did well for him. As much as there are calls for more control etc, I don't think Howe is looking at things the same way. Looks to me like he's trying to get the team to be even better at what they already do. Elanga would help achieve this.

No it's not. 1,100 minutes is not "lots of game time" for a 21-year old. Never has - never will be. That's a bit part player. Yes injuries played a factor but doesn't stop the basic fact that he never got the minutes. He never got a good run in the side.

No he's not available

I think most people would rather have had him here as part of our squad, especially considering we got fuck all for him in return in £15m. But we had to sell him because of PSR so I'm not really sure what we are discussing. Is it because posters think we should bring him back?

Could say the limitations and negatives just aren't as exposed I guess. Sancho was basically Neymar in the Bundesliga. He comes back here and nigh on every defender can deal with him comfortably.

Would be a good squad player in the £30-40m bracket. Don't think he's much more than that.

Exactly. The player I think most matches up with Elanga on this one is Diaby. When we were linked with him you'd have thought we were signing an upcoming superstar.

Football is a squad game and he would get plenty of games as a 4th choice for a champions league side. Especially for us as a homegrown player.

Agree to some degree, but when you get to watch them week in week out over here, you can already see limitations/negatives. With a signing from abroad most haven't.

I mean Elanga is younger than both and has played for a side that finished above both Brentford and Wolves.

McTominay just won player of the season in Italy despite his many limitations on show in the Prem Anthony went to Betis and looked 'renewed' Gyokeres has scored a billion goals in Portugal and is still readily available Sancho looked great at Dortmund but extremely regular in Prem I say all that to say killing it in a foreign league means very little, demonstrating transferable attributes (i.e. technical ability) should be the main consideration

Probably because no significant fines or punishments are handed out. If Villa sell their women's team, we're pretty much in a club of one in which you're desperate to challenge the cartel clubs, but also play by the rules and not exploit loopholes. The rest are largely businessmen owned, and increasingly American businessmen, who are happy to capture any value gains by just being. That the Americans may soon have the premier league voting majority makes me shudder.

Chelsea holding group has lost £400m this year. Who wants to do that? Do PIF even want to do that year on year with us?

I said this near verbatim yesterday and folks got irate The people yearn for a transfer, no matter how mediocre

@IkonIf you’re saying we need a prime David Silva type but with Gordon’s pace for the right wing spot, I agree but that player either doesn’t exist or wouldn’t come to us. He has limitations, sure but that’s like every player. The point is Howe seemingly really wants him for the way he wants to play and that’s more than enough for me.

If you look back at the early conversations around Gordon when we were linked, it was all very similar. Regarding him just being a pace merchant etc. At Everton he hadn't achieved anywhere near what Elanga has over the past couple of seasons. We still paid £40 million for him, and we were really only able to get him for that in January, after he had that run in with the fans there and it was all kicking off. The summer before Chelsea were interested, and were quoted £60 million. Gordon today looks a much better player in the Newcastle team and setup, and wouldn't go for less than £80 million? I imagine it would all end up being a similar sort of trajectory with Elanga, if he comes into the Newcastle team, and so you aren't wrong in what you're saying at all.

I know it's a cliche and I'm sure some eyes will roll, but if Elanga had never played in the Premier League and just put in those last two seasons in La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, or Bundesliga I have no doubt whatsoever that he'd be seen as a much bigger potential signing. Despite the quality, or physicality being below the PL, a player tearing it up abroad still holds that hype and glamour about it that the PL doesn't.

That's my point. I keep hearing we should move on to other options, and obviously at some point we do. But who are the better/cheaper options?

Just watched that and I'm all set on him now Can see straight away how he would elevate us. The first time crossing on his right foot, on the money which Wood scores. That replaces Murphy to Isak comb. Mixed in with you don't only have to worry about that, but he can nonchalantly come in on his left foot and behind it quickly around the keeper into the goal (or pass to Isak). Added bonuses, when through one on one, he has the finishing ability more of Barnes and final bit, set pieces. Whipped in with pace, which we have no-one who can really do it well for us.

He doesn't necessarily need to be that player. Howe will undoubtedly know that the low block is something we need to be better against. It just might not even be that he wants an unlocker player in the mould that he wanted with Maddison and Szoboslai, it could be that he wants us to do something that sidesteps it, or that he's seen a trend in the way football is going that means we can get around it without needing that player, or it might just be Joao Pedro, there are loads of possibilities.

Because the elephant in the room is this, most clubs don't care to win the league I mean cartel clubs, they just want to be in the champions league. For them they have put rules in place which restricts people like us and gives them plenty of space to spend.