Elanga transfer truth as Newcastle had no alternative but to offer Nottingham Forest £55m fee
by Keith Wales, Ciaran Kelly · NottinghamshireLiveHow does one determine the worth of a footballer? It's a subjective matter, and one of huge interest to Nottingham Forest amid interest in winger Anthony Elanga.
The same question came to the fore when Newcastle United, Elanga's particular suitors this summer, faced criticism from their competitors for selling Allan Saint-Maximin to Al-Ahli, another club owned by PIF, a few years back.
In response, Newcastle compared the deal to similar transfers involving players of comparable age, position, skill level and experience.
The Premier League ultimately deemed the transaction fair market value after an independent assessor considered 18 different factors.
These considerations included Saint-Maximin's age, position, performance record and experience, such as the number of appearances and the level of competition in which he played; his nationality; the scarcity of players with similar attributes in the market; the relative negotiating power of the clubs involved; and the 'normal market conditions' expected for such a transaction, reports Chronicle Live.
While these factors may not apply to 'arm's length' deals between clubs with different owners, they do shed light on why Forest rejected a £45m bid from Newcastle for Elanga last week.
Elanga, a Swedish international with enormous potential, has already made 113 Premier League appearances at the tender age of 23 and still has three years remaining on his contract.
It's quite revealing that Newcastle have since come back with a higher offer of £55m, especially considering the transfer fees being demanded elsewhere.
This summer has seen Chelsea snap up Joao Pedro, who had just one less goal involvement than Elanga last season, in a hefty £60m deal.
Jamie Gittens, though three years Elanga's junior with significant potential, could still set Chelsea back £52m despite lacking Premier League experience.
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Manchester United, facing a firm stance from Wolves, had to activate Matheus Cunha's £62.5m release clause; the Brazilian outperformed Elanga in goal contributions last term.
Brentford are also holding out for over £65m from United for Bryan Mbeumo, whose impressive stats from the previous season justify their valuation.
Premier League clubs seem to be adjusting to inflated fees for forwards, as football finance expert Professor Rob Wilson observed market disruptions early in the transfer window.
"Manchester United paid for Cunha and he probably wasn't worth the buy-out clause, which is why it was set," he explained to ChronicleLive.
"But they clearly feel he is in and around that value and then that has an effect on the other guys in the market.
"Newcastle made an initial bid worth £45m for Elanga and I would argue that was pretty low in the context of Cunha and probably Mbeumo as well."
It's no surprise that Newcastle returned with a higher offer.