Nottingham Forest lost Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United this summer, with the winger now revealing the role that one of his former teammates played in the move.
As soon as it was revealed that Newcastle were interested in Elanga once again this summer, those at the City Ground must’ve realised that he’d be hard to keep hold of.
After failed bids, Newcastle eventually agreed a £55m fee for Elanga, giving the Reds a healthy profit on their initial investment in the winger, with enough to find an adequate replacement in a search that remains ongoing.
The Forest squad were sad to see Elanga go, but the man himself has revealed that one of his teammates in particular helped him settle on the move to the North East.
Anthony Elanga reveals Elliot Anderson role in Newcastle move
Forest and Newcastle have had a fruitful transfer relationship in recent seasons, with the Reds able to capture both Chris Wood and Elliot Anderson from the Magpies.
Both had stellar campaigns under Nuno Espírito Santo last season and as it turns out, both played their role in convincing Elanga that the switch to Newcastle would suit him.
Speaking at a Newcastle fans event, Elanga said: “When I found out about the interest, Elliot [Anderson] and Chris Wood spoke to me a lot. Elliot did push it! He did push me to come because obviously he still loves Newcastle so much, he was at the [Carabao Cup] final last season.
“I took his word for it about how much he loves the club and how much the club will help me develop as a player so I took the opportunity to come here and I really want to develop and become the best player I can possibly be.”
Of course, Anderson deserves no criticism for helping Elanga decide on Newcastle, but it’s certainly an interesting insight into how transfers are perceived in a dressing room, with clearly no hard feelings towards Elanga for departing the City Ground.
However, Elanga himself may be feeling slightly bittersweet about his move to Tyneside now, though, given the bombshell developments over Alexander Isak’s future.
Anthony Elanga may not get to link up with Alexander Isak after all
Back when Newcastle first approached Forest for Elanga back in 2024, the discussion of the Swedish link-up between him and striker Alexander Isak became an intriguing aspect to the potential deal.
Away on Sweden duty, Elanga said that he and Isak have good chemistry, which, in hindsight, must’ve been tremendously exciting for Newcastle fans, up until Isak’s future was thrust into doubt.
The elite goalscorer has decided that he wants to leave Newcastle after champions Liverpool showed an active interest in his signature, unsettling the 25-year-old who had already been demanding a pay rise at St James’ Park.
At this moment, then, it seems unlikely that Elanga will get to partner up with his Swedish compatriot, putting a slight dampener on the move.
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