Newcastle ‘well placed’ to agree Elliot Anderson deal in sensational twist
Newcastle could look to bring Elliot Anderson back to the club if Sandro Tonali leaves in the summer transfer window.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, amid Tonali’s increasingly uncertain future at Newcastle.
Newcastle may need to qualify for the Champions League to convince Tonali to remain at the club, with the Italian having been linked with a move to Arsenal in January.
Eddie Howe’s side have underperformed in the Premier League this season, and need to overturn an 11-point gap to finish in the top four.
Newcastle need to find ‘midfield solution’
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Newcastle need to freshen up the squad in the summer.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the club need to have a “succession plan ready now” if Tonali leaves the club.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well that’s exactly it, it’s having that succession plan ready now in terms of midfield, but you know I think that they’re actually pretty well-placed [to sign Anderson].
“It’d be surprising what they might have to pay to bring Elliot Anderson back having filled that gap. But again, they’re stuck in this whole vice we talked about last week of the SCR formulas and the ability to spend, despite having the richest owners in the world. It’s all been rehearsed and talked about so much, and it seems so unfair.
“But yes, they’ve got to find that midfield solution now. This is why clubs don’t like players moving in January. It does give them this period now to do the research and to get some time in. But, I think that certainly if he was to go, at the right price, I think Newcastle and Eddie Howe wouldn’t mind actually refreshing the squad and the ages in that midfield and get things moving again.
“They’ve still got some work to do in that squad in Newcastle, certainly I think at both ends of the pitch and in the midfield. So I think that that would be something they need to address. But I think they’ve got to start thinking about life without Tonali for sure.”
Eddie Howe could face sack Newcastle sack
Howe’s future at Newcastle is in doubt following defeat against Brentford, which made it three successive losses in all competitions.
The 48-year-old is under increasing pressure to reverse their form and end the season positively in the Premier League.
The Toon are closer to the relegation zone than the top four, and they face Tottenham and Manchester City in their next two Premier League games.