PIF looking to sign “monster” CF for Newcastle

Newcastle United’s transfer activity is really starting to heat up.

As has been widely reported, the Magpies are close to signing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for a whopping £55m, a deal that truly kickstarts their business this summer.

The Swedish international scored six goals and registered 11 assists in the Premier League last season, meaning only Mohamed Salah and future teammate Jacob Murphy accumulated more of the latter.

The £55m fee means Elanga will become the second-most expensive signing in Newcastle’s history, behind only compatriot Alexander Isak.

Now though, could Eddie Howe convince a Premier League-proven striker, who is available as a free agent, to make the move to Tyneside?

Newcastle’s search for a striker

It was confirmed on Monday that Callum Wilson had departed Newcastle, following the expiration of his contract.

The England international scored 49 goals in 130 appearances for the Magpies, 18 of which came during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, as they finished fourth, but the 33 year old saw just 458 minutes of action last season, starting only two league fixtures due to injury issues, so will depart as a free agent.

Thus, to fill his spot in the squad, Luke Edwards of the Telegraph is reporting that Newcastle are ‘contemplating’ a move to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who himself is currently without a club, after leaving Everton.

Having missed out on Arsenal-bound Viktor Gyökeres, Mark Critchley and Laurie Whitwell of the Athletic believe that Calvert-Lewin is also a target for Manchester United, but the Red Devils will ‘only advance if they do not get any of their top targets’, so could Newcastle swoop in sooner?

How Dominic Calvert-Lewin would improve Newcastle

First and foremost, the 28-year-old has scored more Premier League goals against Newcastle than any other team, so signing him would, at the very least, prevent that tally from rising.

More importantly, Calvert-Lewin could be an excellent fit for Newcastle.

The main question marks surrounding the England international pertain to his injury record, racking up just 1,613 minutes on the pitch this season due to a hamstring injury.

At Newcastle though, with Isak already there, Calvert-Lewin would not need to be an every-game starter, so his minutes could be managed, and, when fit and firing, he’s difficult to stop.

During the 2020/21 season, one of the best of his career, scout Jacek Kulig heralded him as a “monster.”

Meantime, Harshal Patel of Total Football Analysis has praised Calvert-Lewin’s ‘ability to hold up the ball’ and ‘intelligent movement’, with Patrick Boyland of the Athletic adding that he is an ‘elite-level striker’ in terms of ‘heading ability’, concluding there are few better in that regard than the ‘demon of the skies’.

So, should they sign Elanga and Calvert Lewin, could Newcastle become a crossing team that are impossible to stop?

Well, last season, the Magpies ranked 13th in the Premier League for completed crosses into the penalty area, according to FBref.com, but could Elanga change that?

As the table outlines, Elanga ranked, generally, very highly for all creative metrics in the Premier League last season, so the Swede and Calvert-Lewin could work as an excellent attacking duo, similar to his partnership with Chris Wood at Forest.

Thus, given that they already have Isak, and that Calvert-Lewin is available for free, this appears to be a no-brainer, low-risk move for Newcastle, that could only prove to be a smart addition.

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