Anthony Elanga vs Jacob Murphy… What the stats show as Newcastle United close in on £55m deal

Newcastle United are working hard to sign Anthony Elanga but how do his stats compare to their current winger, Jacob Murphy?

Eddie Howe has been desperate to enhance his attacking options ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign all summer, with little success so far.

Newcastle United have missed out on top targets Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Joao Pedro and fans have begun to grow nervy over the lack of action.

Some progress looks to have finally been made, though, as Newcastle are closing in on signing Anthony Elanga.

A £55m bid has been lodged with Nottingham Forest and the club is in talks over personal terms with the Swede.

Should Newcastle get Elanga over the line, they will be adding another right winger to their squad to compete with Jacob Murphy.

But after Murphy enjoyed a sensational season last term, how do the two compare? Let’s take a look.

• Who is Anthony Elanga? The Nottingham Forest winger Newcastle United want to sign

Anthony Elanga stats compared to Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy in 2024-25

Fans were left stunned as Murphy enjoyed the best campaign of his entire career in 2024-25, dominating the right flank and contributing eight goals and 12 assists.

Despite his remarkable upturn in form, Newcastle are still looking to bring in another (younger) option on the right and here’s how the two attackers’ stats in the 2024-25 Premier League season compare.

	Jacob Murphy	Anthony Elanga
Matches	35	38
Goals	8	6
Assists	12	11
xG	5.94	4.71
XA	6.20	5.16
Dribble success rate	49.2%	39%
Key passes	31	39
Crossing accuracy	18.5%	23.4%
Chances created (Big chances created)	43 (15)	50 (8)
Possesion lost	419	450

Interestingly, the stats of both forwards are fairly similar, with not much to separate them on the whole.

Newcastle scored 10 more goals with 68 and Murphy was involved in 29.4% of them. Elanga, meanwhile, was involved in 29.3% of Forest’s 58 goals, with both players giving the near-exact same contribution to their teams.

Murphy had a better output but he was in the more attacking side. Should Elanga keep the same form up at St. James’ Park, he would theoretically be able to match his numbers.

However, both players outperformed their xG and xA, suggesting that their strong returns are not sustainable.

Elanga had Murphy beat with his crossing accuracy, key passes and chances created stats, but Murphy had a much better dribble success rate and, naturally, didn’t lose the ball as much.

Will Elanga replace Murphy in Howe’s starting XI?

Other than Elanga’s youth and the room to improve, there doesn’t appear to be an awful lot to between them.

On one hand, it could be questioned why Newcastle are making Elanga their second most expensive signing ever when he isn’t much of an upgrade on Murphy.

Yet, it is good to have options and Howe has benefited from having Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon to pick from on the opposite flank.

Elanga’s versatility will also come in handy, especially his ability to play through the middle on the occasions when Alexander Isak is injured.

It’s hard for Newcastle to sign a talented striker when any possible target knows they’re coming in as second choice, so a multifaceted forward is the best remedy to the problem.

All going well, Elanga should replace Murphy in the starting XI permanently one day, but it might not be quite so soon.

Murphy and Elanga both played in strong sides last term, with Newcastle and Forest finishing just one point apart.

What Sean Longstaff is not doing at Newcastle United as Leeds weigh up new bid

Newcastle United have an extremely difficult decision to make regarding Leeds United target Sean Longstaff.

The 27-year-old was close to a move away earlier this month, only for Newcastle United to reject Leeds’ £12million Longstaff bid.

A new approach from Leeds could be on the horizon, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey speaking exclusively to Geordie Boot Boys about Longstaff’s future at St James’ Park.

• Who is Sean Longstaff? The homegrown Carabao Cup winner who could depart Newcastle United

Sean Longstaff ‘likely’ to leave Newcastle United, but is not forcing an exit

Longstaff remains likely to leave Newcastle United, but Bailey has told Geordie Boot Boys that the local lad certainly is not pushing for a move away.

“There is an expectation that Leeds United will come back in for him,” he said.

“I think it is something that the player would be open to. It’s an intriguing situation for Newcastle, especially with the lack of homegrown players for the Champions League.

“Longstaff would like the move, but he is also not desperate to get out. If Eddie Howe said to him ‘you need to go’ then he would. From what I am told, Longstaff is not really banging on the door to let him go.

“From what I am hearing, it is more likely than not that he will leave Newcastle, be it to Leeds or another club.