Eddie Howe reluctant to sign Ligue 1 star with £60m Premier League target preferred

Over the past few years, Eddie Howe’s perceived preference for proven Premier League players has often been debated amongst Newcastle United fans.

In some ways, you can see he loves the security of a young talent (Gordon, Livramento, Hall) who has already played in the league, speaks the language and is ready to slot straight in, but there is a strong counter-argument.

I would argue that, post-takeover, four of our top five signings have come from abroad. Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman plucked from Ligue 1 for a combined £75m, Sandro Tonali snatched from AC Milan and Alexander Isak signed from Real Sociedad in a £63m deal that now looks an absolute bargain.

With that in mind, it feels Howe is certainly open to overseas additions if they are the right ones, yet a recent report indicates he is preferring Premier League proven wingers over an exciting talent we’ve been tracking in France.According to The i’s Mark Douglas, Eddie Howe is pushing to bring in Premier League proven Anthony Elanga over taking a risk on Monaco’s highly-rated Maghnes Akliouche.

The former France under-21 star looks a huge talent and may be a name Paul Mitchell has put forward given his prior connections in Monaco, but Howe would ‘ideally prefer a winger with more Premier League experience.’

Douglas writes that the Newcastle boss feels there is real value in a player who is ‘ready to improve the first XI immediately’ and is also a big fan of Elanga’s versatility.

However, questions will be asked about this approach given Akliouche is considered the ‘more affordable alternative’, especially if Forest stand firm on a reported £60m asking price after rejecting our £45m offer earlier this week.

Reports suggest we will turn to alternatives if a compromise can’t be reached. Perhaps one of those ‘plan Bs’ is Akliouche, but our current crop of ‘top targets’ and attempts to sign Elanga, Trafford, Pedro and Guehi suggests Howe is still prioritising the reliable but inflated domestic market.Reports suggest we will turn to alternatives if a compromise can’t be reached. Perhaps one of those ‘plan Bs’ is Akliouche, but our current crop of ‘top targets’ and attempts to sign Elanga, Trafford, Pedro and Guehi suggests Howe is still prioritising the reliable but inflated domestic market.