Newcastle United want to sign Jarrod Bowen, but that does not necessarily mean that they will.
The Magpies are in the market for a right winger, as Eddie Howe aims to take his Newcastle United team to the next level.
He wants someone to play alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, and had earmarked Michael Olise for that role. However, he has signed for Bayern Munich.
Now the Magpies are looking elsewhere, with Jarrod Bowen now Newcastle’s top target. The West Ham attacker is seen as attainable by Toon officials, even if fans think that Bowen will be too expensive.
That feels likely, due to the fact that Bowen has a contract with West Ham until 2030. They will want to keep him, and will likely demand that Newcastle pay a huge fee to get him. It would surely take a club record offer to get Bowen to St James’ Park, which would be a lot of money for a player who turns 28 this year.
Newcastle could turn to Anthony Elanga
While Newcastle may have their eyes on Bowen, they might be forced to look elsewhere.
And that could lead them to a club that they have already done business with this summer – Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies sold Elliot Anderson to Forest to solve their PSR problem, with Odysseas Vlachodimos arriving at St James’ Park from the City Ground.
During those negotiations, the idea of Anthony Elanga moving to Newcastle was floated, but a deal did not materialise. However, Elanga is still a player who the Magpies are interested in.
The Northern Echo have described Elanga as a long-term target for Newcastle, and suggest that talks with Forest could resume if the Magpies fail to land Bowen.
Newcastle must try to do better than Nottingham Forest winger
But if Newcastle can’t get Bowen then they must set their sights higher than Elanga.
While the Sweden international is a talented player – he was called ‘unbelievable’ by Paul Merson last season – he is not the gamechanger that Newcastle need in attack.
After links with the likes of Olise and Nico Williams, a move for Elanga would be rather underwhelming. He is obviously a talented player, getting 14 goal contributions for Forest last season. However, he is not at the level Newcastle need as they aim to get back in the Champions League.
Newcastle have a transfer budget of £100million, and that should allow them to get someone better than Elanga. And even if they did move for the 22-year-old who cost Forest £15million last year, he would likely be overpriced. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will not want to lose him, given how well he has done at the City Ground so far.
If Newcastle want their right winger to come from a Premier League club, Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford would be a better option.
Mbeumo has been linked with Newcastle, and would provide the same flexibility as Bowen. He can play on the right or as a striker, which would give Howe real fluidity in attack.
Elanga is certainly a talent, but should not be Newcastle’s marquee signing in attack.
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